Unexpected
by missallyrose
Summary: Rose Weasley:smart, funny, gifted. Scorpius Malfoy:smooth, formal, and so different from his father. Both were expected to hate each other, but everyone may just have to get used to the unexpected. Eventual RosexScorpius. T because I'm paranoid,
1. The Beginning

I stood at Platform Nine, countless Muggles rushing past me so fast my bushy auburn hair was blown around. They really are interesting, Muggles. Acting so knowledgeable and observant, yet they have no clue whatsoever that a whole other world exists within their own. My beautiful tawny owl, Isis, hoots boredly in her cage, which is balanced on top of my school trunk. Clutching my ticket in my hand, I look around London Station, until a slight tug at the sleeve of my shirt captures my attention. Looking down at my elbow, I see my little brother, Hugo, his fiery red hair just as disheveled as ever.

"Rosie, where's the train? We only have eight minutes left!" Hugo's boyish voice sounds worried and nervous. I glance at the huge clock on the wall, telling the Londoners how long they had to catch their trains. He was right; the time read ten fifty-two, and the Hogwarts Express left at eleven sharp. Hogwarts was the wizarding school most magical folk in Britain went to. Both my parents went, and I'd be following in their footsteps soon. I looked for our parents and found them arguing gently, Mum's hands flying around a little.

"Mum!" I called, no response. "Hermione Weasley!" I tried, this time she turned her head right as Dad started speaking. He looked slightly annoyed, and I smiled at his expression.

"Yes, Rose?" Mum walked to me, her also bushy chestnut brown hair tied back into a half-up/half-down style. She had big, cozy brown eyes that were kind, but sometimes she gave you a look so stern you wouldn't dare disobey her. She had pale, clear skin, and was pretty tall. I looked down at my tickets, my lips slightly parted and my eyebrows furrowed in concentration (a trait from Mum) as I tried to make sense of my ticket.

"Well, it says Platform Nine and Three Quarters, and all I see is Nine and Ten. I can't figure out how to get in, though I'm sure it is possible." I explained, "They should've put it in _Hogwarts: A History_," I added in an undertone. I must've read that book three times and no mention of the way to get to Hogwarts was included. "Something must be charmed, like Diagon Alley."

Mum slapped her forehead and Dad chuckled at his usually on-top-of-things wife, his blue eyes twinkling. My dad, Ron Weasley, had given Hugo his brilliantly crimson hair, and me my blue eyes. He must have also been the reason for the red in my auburn hair. He was tall and freckly, like his children.

"Sorry, Rose, must've forgotten to tell you. You simply walk straight into the barrier dividing Nine and Ten. Watch your father, he'll show you." She took Hugo's hand and led him to the front of the barrier to watch.

Dad stepped forward, putting his arm around my shoulders and guiding me to the barrier until I was inches away. He wheeled my cart to the barrier too, and gave me the instructions. "Now, the Muggles mustn't catch sight of us, so we must do this inconspicuously. Act naturally and do what I do," Dad pushed the cart into the wall, Isis hooting nervously, and it melted through as if the barrier was made of butter rather than brick. My jaw dropped.

"Of course! This must keep the Muggles from seeing the train," I muttered. I watched as my father crossed his arms across his chest and lazily leaned into the wall, and in a flash he was gone. I did the same, squeezing my eyes shut in nervous fear. Stepping backwards I felt a sensation like cool water running over my body, though it only lasted for a split second. I opened one eye and gazed upon the most wondrous sight I've seen. A gargantuan scarlet train rested magnificently on the tracks, emblazoned with golden letters spelling _The Hogwarts Express_. Crowded on the Platform were the most odd group of people I had ever seen, young witches and wizards dressed in jeans and t-shirts, their parents, if magical folk themselves, trying to pass themselves off as Muggles, many in vain. I saw a middle-aged man wearing a flowery pink blouse, leading two teenage boys to the entrance of the train. In spite of myself, I giggled. Dad and I pushed our way through the crowd, narrowly avoiding a collision with a pink-faced, mousy-haired girl chasing a toad, and pulled to a stop in front of the majestic steam engine.

"It's _huge_!" A voice said to my right, belonging to my brother. His brown eyes were shining with awe. Mum and Dad laughed at him affectionately. Hugo's two second attention span kicked in as he spotted a five-person family loitering a few meters away. "UNCLE HARRY! AUNT GINNY! OVER HERE!" My brother started jumping up and down like a rabbit on caffeine, waving his arms in the air as if he were trying to flag down an airplane. Uncle Harry turned his black-haired head at the noise, and led his large family over to us. Next to him was Aunt Ginny, her signature Weasley hair, flaming red of course, tied back in a ponytail and her warm brown eyes twinkling. Clutching her hand was nine-year-old Lily, with both her mother's red hair and chocolate brown eyes, slightly watery. She was clearly jealous of her Hogwarts-bound older brothers. Hugo and she immediately stood together, being the youngest of both families and starting their first year together in two years, they had formed a sort of pact. Beside her was Albus, with both his father's untidy black hair and sparkling emerald eyes, and I beamed a him. Al was the best friend I had, and we were as thick as thieves. He looked a little nervous, he was always a little meek. Lagging behind the rest of the group and looking slightly embarrassed and impatient to be with his friends was thirteen-year-old James, with auburn hair a shade darker than mine, and brown eyes framed with glasses. He was starting his third year at Hogwarts, and he was a Gryffindor, like both his parents.

The four siblings embraced, complimenting each other and chatting amiably. Al was arguing with James about something, and the clock said that we still had about five minutes until eleven, so I just watched the Platform curiously. _Croak!_ A sudden noise spooked me as a large, fat toad leaped over my foot, the pink-faced girl following closely behind. Laughing inwardly, I looked around the Platform once more. My eyes fell on a pair, both tall, blonde, and male, but one was significantly older than the other, who was probably his son. The older man was tall and foreboding, but slender, and his eyes held a look that suggested he had seen a great deal. His son resembled him greatly, with the same slim build and smooth silver-blonde hair, but his pearl-gray eyes held innocence and warmth. He turned his head and caught me looking, and my cheeks and ears turned pink. I quickly glanced away.

Out of my peripheral vision I saw the two stride toward us. Dad saw it too, and watched them somewhat warily. The man just walked by and nodded, but not as if he and Dad were friends at all. His son just glanced at us before they both met up with a tall and beautiful black haired woman, most-likely the man's wife and boy's mother.

"Draco Malfoy. So that must be little Scorpius. Make sure you beat him in every test. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains," Dad only half-joked. I beamed at his compliment.

"Ron! Don't turn them against each other before they've even started school!" Mum argued, slightly smiling.

"Just don't get too friendly with him, Rosie. Your granddad would kill you if you married a pure-blood." At Dad's next statement I flushed scarlet.

"Dad!" I laughed.

"We better get going, Rose, we have two minutes left," Al said, glancing at his watch. He bid his parent and sister goodbye as James climbed aboard with his trunk. Albus followed as I hugged my parents.

"Bye Mum! Bye Dad!" I said, hoisting my trunk onto the train, balancing Iris' cage precariously in my arms. I tried making my way up the aisle, but my trunk and owl got in the way, and Iris' cage threatened to crash to the ground more than once, so I resorted to calling for help. "Al!" I called to my cousin, a little ways ahead of me. He had already dropped his trunk off in a compartment. "Come help please!"

Al turned around making his way to me, and then a smooth voice said, "Need a hand?" I turned to see myself looking up at Scorpius Malfoy. And I thought I was tall. "I'm Scorpius, by the way."

"Rose," I introduced, glancing back at my cousin's slow progress. Something about Scorpius made me uncomfortable, but I didn't know what. Al was now only a few compartments ahead-

"Are you sure you don't need a hand?"

"I've got it thanks," Albus rudely answered for me, taking my trunk and glaring at Scorpius. I stared at him, shocked. Al was usually so meek and quiet, and here he was, standing up to a boy about two heads taller than he. "You're a Malfoy, aren't you? Dad, Harry Potter, maybe you've heard of him, told me about your family. A lot of purebloods. He said that your dad hated Muggle-borns. My aunt's a Muggle-born."

Scorpius looked just as shocked as I. Then his tone became very cold. "My father told me about your dad. He said that he was great wizard, very brave. Very loyal. You'll find that sons aren't always like their fathers. You may be a prime example of this." With that, Scorpius pushed by and strode down the aisle of the train. Al looked extremely offended.

"Why were you talking to him, Rose? You heard what Uncle Ron said!" Al demanded.

"He was _joking_, Albus. Besides, _I_ wasn't talking to _him_, _he_ was talking to _me_. Why does it matter, anyways?"

"Because he's an arrogant git and I don't wan't him talking to my best friend!" Al argued. I simply rolled my eyes and sighed.

"What's the harm of talking to a person? He was polite enough until you showed up, and why judge him because of what your father said about his father? Maybe he was right, sons aren't always like their fathers."

"But-"

"Conversation over." I stated, plopping down into the compartment where Al left his trunk.

* * *

**My 1st HP fanfic! Yay! Anyways, not too happy with the ending, but I didn't want to make this chapter way too long by going on and on about their ride, that'll be next chapter :)**

**Please R&R!**


	2. Boats, Old Hats, and Really Loud Doors

The longer I had to sit and stew about what Scorpius Malfoy had said to my cousin the longer I had to get angrier and angrier. His words had stirred some new feeling inside of me, and it burned and burned, fueling my anger. Sure, I had argued in Malfoy's defense, but mostly because I hated it when Al told me who I could and couldn't talk to, as if he were so much wiser than me. It was sexist, really.

The train was well on it's way to Hogwarts by now, we had departed London Station twenty minutes earlier. I had changed into my brand-new Hogwarts robes just minutes after we left. According to James though, we still had a couple of hours before we arrived at Hogsmeade Station. Staring out the window as the cities melted into calm countryside again and again, I found it hard to believe that we had much longer to go. I mean, England was only so big, and how far north could Hogwarts be?

"What's got you looking so ticked, Rosie?" asked Albus, concern seeping into his voice.

"Truthfully, what Malfoy said to you." I turned to look at my cousin nest to me.

"But you said he was-"

"I _said_ he had a point. That being that not every son is just like his father. Or daughter, for that matter," I began, "But what he said about you was horrible! He basically called you a sniveling coward!" I almost shouted.

At that moment, raucous boyish laughter was heard a few compartments down, and then came a girl's exasperated sigh. Light footsteps were heard making their way down the hall, towards our compartment, and a slim girl appeared in our open doorway. Albus' jaw nearly reached the floor.

"Mind if I join you?" She asked sweetly, "The boys in my compartment are being total gits." The girl rolled her brown eyes. She had a very slender figure, and wasn't very tall at all. She had a sheet of hair so black it shone blue, and it nearly reached her waist, and she had kind, close-set almond eyes. She had a small, slightly flat nose, and a light sprinkle of freckles across it. "I'm Jade Ling, by the way."

"Rose Weasley," I introduced as Jade took the seat across from me, folding her tiny hands in her lap. One glance at my ogling cousin told me he wouldn't be able to speak for a few minutes, so I introduced him too. This time, it was Jade's turn to ogle.

"_Weasley?_ As in Ron and Hermione Weasley? And surely Potter isn't for Harry Potter, isn't it?" We both nodded.

"Our parents," I answered the curious girl. She immediately began to dig in her bookbag, and produced a small black book that looked a lot like a photo album. She opened it, and I saw that the pages were not filled with pictures, but with little pentagon shaped cards that fit perfectly in the slots on the pages – Wizard's Cards, from the Chocolate Frogs. "Wow, you must have hundreds!"

"One-hundred and thirty two," Jade admitted proudly.

"I collect too!" Albus beamed, a look of pure love in his eyes as he produced a bundle of cards from his pocket. "I only have thirty…."

Jade flashed Albus a smile, revealing her even, white teeth, and flipped through the pages of her book eagerly, clearly searching for something. Finally, she came to a stop. "Here we go, Harry Potter and the Weasleys." Sitting in a row on the transparent page were my family's cards, emblazoned with their names in gold lettering, their portraits smiling happily at us. I scanned the cards, catching a couple interesting bits, but I already knew all of them, of course. "Your family is pretty incredible, you know." Jade said with a smile, and at that moment the sweets cart came rolling up the aisle.

"Any sweets, dears?" Said the plump witch pushing the cart.

* * *

A hour and a half later, Jade, Al, and I leaned back in our seats, laughing and chatting about nothing in particular. Jade unwrapped one of the last of our Chocolate Frogs. They were all she bought, in the hopes that she would come across a card that she didn't have in her collection. "Ooh! Morgan la Fay! I don't have one of her yet!" She flipped to the second to last page in her book, and slipped the card in the last slot on the page, Morgan's black eyes glittering almost coldly.

A noise from the aisle distracted me, and I turned to see none other than Scorpius Malfoy, striding down the hall with his robes on his arm. He stared at me, and I glared at him. Jade followed my gaze. When he was out of sight, she looked at me.

"I think he likes you," She said in a singsong voice. I immediately felt my ears go red.

"I hope not. He's a jerk!" Jade raised her eyebrows unbelievingly.

"He can't be that bad."

"Well he is!" I snapped, and immediately apologized when I saw Jade's taken aback expression. "Can we please change the subject?" Albus looked at me curiously, and for a horrible moment I thought he was thinking exactly what Jade had voiced. My attitude changed when Albus spoke again.

"Dad says he'll send me an owl for Christmas!" Al said excitedly. We spent the next few minutes talking about owls and cats, apparently, that's what Jade had, when the train lurched to a stop.

Jade popped out of the compartment, saying she was going to get her things from the compartment she left earlier, and Al and I pressed our faces against the window. It was dark outside, and the sation was wooden and old-fashioned. The old building was positioned on a hill, and just beyond it was a quaint little town, all the building crooked and old-fashioned, the occasional floating lantern illuminating the empty streets.

A giant man with a huge, bushy black beard, now streaked with gray, stood at the platform, holding a huge lantern in his gargantuan hand. A little ways away waited a long line of carriages, attached to no horses. several other magical means of transportation awaited the students, and we could hear the excited squeals and gasps of other first years. Finally, Jade returned to the compartment, her cheeks flushed with excitement. We filed out into the aisle, joining the plethora of black-robed kids, and weaved our way through to the exit of the train.

"Firs' years o'er here!" A husky voice yelled, and I turned to see that the owner of the voice was the giant with the lantern. Jade, Al, and I pushed our way through to stand by him, and he beamed down at us. "I reckon you two look familiar, what're yer names, again?" He boomed.

"Albus Potter, sir." Al answered, sounding a little terrified of the giant man in front of him.

"Ye wouldn't be a relation of 'Arry Potter, would ye?" The man said, a surprised look on his face. Al nodded quickly. "Ye look just like 'im. An' you'd be?"

"Rose Weasley, sir." I introduced, reaching out my hand and offering a smile.

"Gracious, I knew yer parents like they was my own, ye know. Came down te my hut whenever they could, bless their souls." The man sounded close to tears. "I'm 'Agrid, by the way. Reckon yer parents mentioned me?"

I nodded, both my parents and my uncle spoke fondly of Hagrid. "Are you still the Care of Magical Creatures professor, sir?" Hagrid beamed.

"Yeah, I am. Been meanin' te write a letter to yer parents, I 'ave. Firs' years o'er here!"

A couple more students joined us. "We meet again, Rose." A voice said next to me, one I knew all too well.

"Bug off, Malfoy." I hissed.

"We're on last name basis now, are we?" Malfoy sounded almost disappointed.

"We have been ever since you insulted my best friend, you git."

"Potter, you mean? Pity, I thought we could be friends," said Malfoy.

"Never in a million years." With that I crossed my arms and tossed my head scornfully, giving an unfortunate chubby boy a mouthful of my bushy hair, my ears turned as red as my hair, but I tried to hide my embarrassment. Jade was looking at me with an amused expression, and I childishly stuck my tongue out at her. She giggled, and I smiled in spite of myself.

Once all of the first years had huddled around Hagrid, he led us to a still black lake, with a surface so smooth it looked like glass. "The Black Lake," I murmured to Jade, who was next to me. "I read about it." Hagrid, who was on my other side, overheard me.

"Yer jus' as smart as yer mum, ye know," Hagrid said nostalgically.

"Thanks, Professor," I beamed.

"You three can call me 'Agrid. Ferget all tha' Professor rubbish," He commanded affectionately. "All righ', into the boats with ye! Four to a boat! Seems one'll 'ave two!" The first years in front of me all clambered into boats with their mates from the train, and several tried to get away with sneaking an extra person, but it seemed as if nothing could escape Hagrid's watchful black eyes. Jade, Al, and I were at the back of the group, with Hagrid, so we were the last to get into the boats. Jade and Albus climbed into a boat with the pink-faced girl from the Platform and a sandy-haired boy. That left only two students left: me and Scorpius Malfoy. Seeing their error, Jade tried to get out of the boat to go with with me, but Hagrid stopped her. "Ye'll need four in tha' one, sorry." Jade sunk back in her seat, looking at me apologetically. "All righ' you two, get on the boat. Quickly now!" Hagrid said, gesturing to the second to last rowboat. I stood in front of the boat, looking at it with something almost like disgust, and Malfoy walked up next to me.

"After you," He said, grinning, and I glared at him as I made my way onto the boat, I was lamost in when my foot caught on the side and I started to fall into the still black water of the lake when a white hand caught my arm and steadied me. I looked gratefully at my savior, but once he turned out to be Malfoy, I jerked my hand out of his grip and muttered a 'thanks', stomping onto the boat.

I felt a presence next to me on the wooden bench of the boat, and looked to see Scorpius Malfoy looking at me, almost apologetically. "Why do you go out of your way to talk to me? Has it occurred to you that I don't _want_ to talk to you?" I spat.

"Look, I really am sorry about what I said to Potter, especially since it upset you so much, but hey, he insulted me first, remember?" Malfoy tried at a small smile. "I know it was _incredibly_ rude, but somehow, I have a feeling that that's not the only reason that you suddenly hate my guts. Am I right?"

My eyes grew wide. Now that Malfoy brought it up, there was something else, but I had no clue what. He was, of course, right, but I wasn't about to tell him that, so I crossed my arms and ignored him. "I'll take that as a yes," he chuckled, and a small, forbidden smile graced my lips in spite of myself.

* * *

Hogwarts was spectacular. It was scary but welcoming; looming but cozy; marvelous but simple. It was a mess of contradictions. It was like I was meant to be here, like it's doors were meant for Rose Weasley to walk through. Like it's halls were meant for Rose Weasley to wander through, it's stairs for her to climb. It was home.

I glanced at the blonde-haired boy next to me, his face clear of expression but his pearl-gray eyes wide with awe. The ride with Malfoy was pretty bearably, actually. All the questions he asked to initiate conversation I could answer simply, the go back to watching the lake and the forest. He finally got the hint, though, but one time I looked back at him and saw him staring sadly at his hands. what in the world would Scorpius Malfoy have to be sad about? Of course, I wasn't talking to him, but a full-blown conversation with Rose Weasley is nothing to brag about. I quickly brushed my thoughts aside though, once we reached the opposite shore.

So now we stand, in the entrance hall. A great roar of voices was heard through a pair of great oak doors, which were about double the size of Hagrid. I wanted desperately to go and join the happy students and teachers beyond those doors, but we were led instead to a cramped room off to the side of the hall. I found myself much closer to Malfoy than I would have preferred. We all jumped slightly at the sound of the door of the room being closed, and I even clutched Malfoy's arm before I knew what I was doing. He looked at me smugly and I made a face at him and looked away, my ears reddening again. Another bang sounded, this time a door at the opposite of the room, and this time a tall, thin witch strode into the room, with a tall, pointed hat perched on top of her black hair, which was coiled back in a severe bun. She had small, black eyes behind square-rimmed spectacles, and a thin face with a rather sharp nose, looking pretty severe. She had sweeping emerald green robes, and she clapped her bony hands to get our attention, as if we weren't already dead silent.

"I am Headmistress McGonagall, and it is my pleasure to welcome you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Her thin lips curved in what was probably a smile. "In just a moment, you will be Sorted into your Houses, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. I will be back shortly." Headmistress McGonagall spoke in a Scottish accent. With a swish of her emerald robes, the door again closed with a bang behind her.

Nervous whispers soon filled the room, and Jade and Albus fought their way through the crowd to get to me. "Sorry 'bout that, Rosie," Al said sheepishly.

"Yeah, I hope your ride wasn't too bad," Jade glanced at me and Malfoy, we were still rather close, and her eyebrows shot up a mile high.

"Well, it was," I said rudely, and beside me I felt Malfoy stiffen. I glanced up at his face, dim in the firelight, and saw that sad look again.

Jade looked like she disapproved a little about my open hostility, but we whispered to each other nonetheless. The whispering stopped at the loud sound of the door.

"Follow me, if you please," Headmistress McGonagall demanded, and we hurried along to keep up with her long, fast strides. I tripped over my robes once, and again Malfoy's hand on my arm saved me from a facefull of marble floor. I gave him a small "thank you" and a tiny smile again, and his hand left my arm, but somewhat reluctantly. This puzzled me a bit, but again I brushed it off as we entered the Great Hall. Four long tables were set up in front of a great dais with another table, no doubt where the teachers sat. Over each table was a coat of arms, probably displaying what house they were, and it seemed like there was no ceiling at all; above us floated a silvery moon and thousand of twinkling stars, as clear as the night outside. Floating candles illuminated the great room, and somehow they never dripped wax on the students heads or became smaller as they burned on. The black-clad students all turned to gape at us as we passed, wondering which of us would be joining them at their tables. We stopped right in front of a wooden stool. Headmistress McGonagall came back into view, carrying a mangy pointed hat, with multiple patches. She set the hat down on the stool, and it surprised us all by singing a song through the rip in the brim. It told us about the different houses that were named for the founders of the school: Godric Gryffindor, who favored the brave-hearted; Rowena Ravenclaw, who favored those that were eager to learn ("That's where my mum was!" exclaimed Jade excitedly); Helga Hufflpuff, who favored the loyal and fair; and last but not least, Salazaar Slytherin, who favored those who were cunning and would get what they wanted, no matter what cost. Dad told me that the whole Malfoy family had been sorted into this House, and I glanced sideways at Scorpius Malfoy, whose face was still void of any emotion.

Headmistress McGonagall produced a long scroll. "Ashby, Lina!" She read, a tiny blonde girl with blue eyes too big for her face clambered up to the stool and took a seat. Headmistress McGonagall placed the hat on tiny Lina's head (it slipped past her nose), and after a second or two, the hat announced that she would be in Hufflepuff. Lina smiled as she skipped to the Hufflepuff table, first from the right.

"I wonder what House I'll be in!" Jade whispered excitedly.

"I'm fine with anyone of them, so long as its not Slytherin," Al contributed, shuddering at the thought of joining a huge boy (Mordred, Jack) who had just been sorted into the House of question.

Headmistress McGonagall cried out about ten more names until she came across Jade's name. "Ling, Jade!" She cried, and Jade gulped. I smiled at her and squeezed her hand encouragingly as she shoved through the crowd. She finally reached the stool, and the hat took a while deciding on her. She kept glancing furtively at Ravenclaw (second table from the right), but the hat declared her a Gryffindor. Despite following in her mum's footsteps, like she clearly wanted, her face broke out into a huge smile, and I heard some Gryffindor boys catcall amongst the cheers.

"Longbottom, Elysse!" The pink-faced girl walked up to the stool, smoothing her dark braids nervously. The hat barely touched her head when it decided she was a true Gryffindor. She smiled shyly as the Gryffindors, including Jade, screamed for her.

"Malfoy, Scorpius!" Malfoy moved away from me, and my left side became suddenly colder, when I realized that we had still been standing closer than necessary. He sat at the stool, and the Slytherin table (first table from the left) leaned forward anticipatingly, clearly thinking Malfoy would join them. After three whole minutes, the hat declared him a Gryffindor. His face looked surprised, but he smiled in mine and Albus' general direction as he sat at the table amidst cheers from his new Housemates. A few more names were called, and ten new Ravenclaws, five new Slytherins, twelve Hufflepuffs, and three Gryffindors were Sorted when it was finally Al's turn.

"Potter, Albus!" The room shushed, except for a few hulking boys from Slytherin who chuckled at his name. I saw James watch avidly from his seat at the Gryffindor table. This time, five minutes passed, and the hat finally called out that Al was the sixth new Slytherin. He looked scared, almost like he was about to cry, as he shuffled over to the Slytherin table. His green eyes were wide. I felt vaguely sorry for him, but the excitement of my own Sorting was so exciting that it blocked out all other thoughts. The number of Unsorted students dwindled until it was only me and a sniffling boy with overlarge glasses and a thin body (Warburton, Arthur) was left, and he went to join his Hufflepuff housemates.

"Weasley, Rose!" Headmistress McGonagall called, and I walked up to the stool, alone, my legs shaking with nerves. I sat slowly down on the stool and waited for the hat to descend on my auburn hair. I looked over to the Slytherin table and saw Al looking at me encouragingly. At the Gryffindor table, Jade was beaming at me. _Good luck_, she mouthed. And right before the hat slipped over my blue eyes, I saw Scorpius Malfoy looking at me with rapt attention. _Curious_, I thought.

* * *

**Yay! This chapter is so much longer than i thought it would be, and that makes me happy :)**

**Thanks so much for the wonderful reviews, this story has gotten way more hits than I expected! Anyways, I actually like this chapter. Scorpius is fun to write about, I just love him. Rose is just so mean in this chapter! But, oh well. She won't hate him forever :)**

**Please R&R!**


	3. This Is Home

I heard nothing. Not a peep. I had been sitting on a stool in front of hundreds of young witches and wizards for a full thirty seconds, and the Sorting Hat still hadn't said a word. It took most kids only about ten seconds to be Sorted, but apparently I'm not "most kids".

Suddenly, a thought entered my head. _What if I'm not _really _a witch? _Maybe it's some mistake. Maybe I'm just a Squib, one of the sad hopefuls who want desperately to be magical like the families they were born into, but aren't. Normal. Maybe I'll be known as Rose the Squib: the poor girl who sat with the Sorting Hat on her head for a full thirty minutes before Headmistress McGonagall realized her mistake and sent her home on the next train out of Hogsmeade. Or maybe I'll be known as Rose the Squib: the girl who died of embarrassment when the Sorting Hat didn't Sort her because she was so boringly _normal_ and not magic and her ghost will haunt Hogwarts forever, the young _magical _children taunting her and teasing her and-

"_Oh stop worrying, will you?" _a hoarse voice hissed in my ear. The Sorting Hat! "_Of course you're a witch, got the makings of a mighty fine one at that, but how am I supposed to Sort you if you don't stop worrying?"_

_Sorry, I guess I was being a little melodramatic, anyways_, I thought, trying to communicate with the hat.

"_A little? Now clear your head, foolish girl. How am I supposed to Sort you if you've got all these thoughts floating around up here?_

"_You're just as difficult to sort as your mother, if not more. You have brains most full grown witches and wizards would dream of having (could use more thinkers like you at the Ministry, but don't repeat that). You could be just the right fit for Ravenclaw, yes that would be a prudent choice._

"_Of course, I must look in your heart, the answer does not lie solely __in your head, my dear. Let's see… yes, your heart is pure and as brave as a lion's, so Gryffindor seems fated for you. Now, the choice is between bravery or brains, head or heart, prudence or destiny, and the choice is very obvious to me. But is it obvious to you, my dear, the choice between prudence or destiny?"_

The hat had me thinking deeply. After a moment or so I whispered, "Destiny."

"_Destiny? Very well, then, I'm afraid the choice must be…._

"_GRYFFINDOR!_" The hat exclaimed, and the Great Hall burst into cheers and raucous applause. I ran off to join the Gryffindors, Jade and James getting out of their seats to hug and congratulate me.

"Yay! We are in the same House! How great is this, Rose?" Jade squealed. I could imagine all the sleepless nights spent whispering each other, like a never-ending sleepover. I sat next to Jade and Elysse Longbottom, who smiled at me warmly.

"I'm Elysse," She said, extending a pale hand. I shook it.

"Rose."

At that moment, Headmistress McGonagall rose from her seat at the Head Table and tapped her wand against her goblet, the echoing sound was much louder than it would be if she had used a knife, like the Muggles do. "Your attention, please!" The Great Hall hushed immediately. "I will remind the first years that the forest is forbidden, under all circumstances except detention. Also, no one is permitted to be out of their common rooms at night, and no setting off Filibuster's Fireworks in the hallways, if you please," the Headmistress said, with a very pointed look at my cousin, Fred Weasley, who smiled back at her, a picture of innocence. It was, of course, false innocence, since he was renowned through our family of playing the best practical jokes, many of the stuff was stuff that his father, George Weasley, taught him, but he had plenty of original tricks too. Whenever we visited their house in Ottery St. Catchpole, we would hear Aunt Angelina screaming at him every twenty minutes or so. "Am I clear?" Headmistress McGonagall asked. The whole room nodded. "Very well then, let the feast begin, and have a wonderful year!" Our Headmistress beamed at us – yes, those thin lips were capable of beaming, apparently – and the golden platters in front of us filled magically with food. I hungrily dug in, and turned to Elysse Longbottom.

"Where does your family live?" I asked, spooned some mashed potatoes onto my plate.

Elysse's already pink face turned even pinker, maybe because I was initiating conversation with her, and she shyly answered me. "Well, Mum wanted to live in London, but Dad wanted to live in Appleby-in-Westmorland, so we have a little cottage there. It gets pretty lovely in the summer. What about you?" Elysse asked the last question tentatively.

"Oh, we live on a little farm outside of Ottery St. Catchpole. Mum's always wanted a farm, so we bought one pretty close to most of our family. We're very happy there. She was also fascinated with all the charms you can put on your house! 'Course, she's Muggle-born, so they had nothing like that where she's from, and as soon as she bout the place she made Gran Weasley teach her every charm that she could use."

"Weasley? As in Ronald and Hermione?"

"Yeah, my parents."

Elysse smiled. "My dad was really close to them, Neville Longbottom? This is great!"

"Oh, and see that boy, right there, next to the Asian girl?" I said, gesturing to James."

"The one two seats down? Yeah, what about him?" Elysse asked curiously. I could see I got her attention.

"He's Harry Potter's son. My cousin," I said. Elysse's eyes looked like they could pop right out, she opened them so wide.

"Really?" She cried. "Wow!" She played with her dark brown braids excitedly. We chatted for a while, and Jade joined in sometimes, but mostly she talked with James. Once, a fourth-year boy asked for me to pass him the ham, and I did, and one of his friends made a catcall. I flushed, even my ears turning red.

Malfoy stiffened noticeably, his fists clenched.

James, maybe noticing this, leaned across the table, turning his head to look at the rude boys. "Wait until she puts an Aging Hex on you, Carl, you'll look like your great-grandpa for as long as she sees fit. Once, little Rosie here put that hex on me when she was nine and I looked like my great-uncle Basil for days. 'Course she got in trouble, but she didn't mind. Getting into trouble doesn't mean a thing to little Rosie if she has a chance at revenge, am I right?"

I nodded at James, and gave the boys an evil smile. I smirked with satisfaction when I saw them shudder. "Can you really do that, Rose?" inquired Elysse.

"'Course, it's pretty easy actually, just flick your wand once and say _Anniantico, _and you've hexed someone." I beamed. My skill with my wand was one of the things that I am proud of.

Elysse glanced over at Malfoy, sitting two seats diagonally from me, his hands still clenched into fists on the table, glaring daggers at Carl and his rude friends. "Is he your boyfriend?" Elysse asked innocently.

I felt my ears turn red again. "No!" At my statement, both Elysse and Jade looked at me with eyebrows raised. "He's not and never will be! End of conversation," I declared. Coincidentally, at that moment, Headmistress McGonagall announced that it was time for the students to go up to their dormitories for the night, according to her they would have a big day tomorrow.

I joined the other Gryffindors, smiled at Al as I passed him in the hallway, and we all climbed the stairs. The prefect, a sixth year named Lisa Verdi, smiled kindly at us, led us up the stairs. Lisa was one of those girls who was really pretty but turned guys down, I think. She has curly brown hair and twinkling green eyes. She's short and curvy, with a sprinkle of freckles. "Careful of the stairs, they're very restless. You don't want to be caught on them when they decide to move," She warned us, her voice surprisingly soft. Finally, we approached a huge portrait of a black-haired lady in a pale pink dress, she was very obese. "This is the Fat Lady, she's been our entrance for _years_." Lisa introduced, then turned to the moving portrait. "Copernicus." She said, loud enough for all of us to hear, and the Fat Lady swung away from the wall and revealed a large hole for the entrance. "That was your password, don't forget it!" Lisa shouted as we filed into the Gryffindor Common Room. It was circular and cozy, with plush red and gold armchairs, tapestries and oriental rugs, all lit by a blazing fire in front of a sitting area. Two winding staircases were hewn into the stone, each leading up to rooms above, which, Lisa explained, were the boys' and girls' dormitories.

Jade and I rushed up to our dormitory, plopped onto our beds (coincidentally right next to each other, and laughed.

_This is home_, I thought, staring up at the deep red curtains on my bed. _Even if I'm Housemates with Scorpius Malfoy._

_

* * *

_

**Okay, so this is just as short little chpater about the feast. And yes, Rose did hex her cousin. With her mother's wand. Don't get on her bad side :)**

**Okay, who can guess who Jade's parent is? It's a girl btw...**

**Please R&R, as always!**

**P.S. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and subscriptions and favorites! This story is way more popular than I would've dreamed! Thank you!**


	4. The Makings of a Great Year

I woke up early the next morning, partly due to the bright morning sun, and partly due to the fact that Jade was jumping up and down on my bed. I groaned, smiling, and chucked my pillow at her head. She caught it and giggled.

"Can you believe it, sleepy-head?" Jade cried, plopping down cross-legged at the foot of my bed. "Our first day at Hogwarts?"

I bolted upright, excitedly. "I wonder what classes we'll be taking. Hopefully Charms, because I'm pretty great with simple spells. 'Course, Transfiguration would be fascinating too, I mean just think about it, you turn some –"

Jade clapped her hand over my mouth. "I've never heard anyone so excited to start a new school for the _classes_. I'm just excited that I never have to take a stupid Math lesson with batty old Mrs. Cribbs again," Jade said matter-of-factly.

I hurried into my robes, now with a red and gold crest of Gryffindor embroidered on them, and yanked a brush through my hair absent-mindedly, unfortunately making it even more frizzy than it was before. Huffing, and braiding my hair to the side, I coveted Jade's pin-straight, easy to manage locks. I put a butterfly headband in my hair, and trotted downstairs, followed by Jade. Once I reached the bottom of the stairwell, however, I stopped dead in my tracks. For sitting there, lounging on the plush red couch and chatting amiably with James, my own cousin, was none other than Scorpius Malfoy. I paused for a moment, vaguely aware that I must strongly resemble a doe caught in the headlights of a speeding car, and remembered the events of last night.

_Malfoy somehow isn't a Slytherin. He's a Gryffindor. You are too. Remember?_ I reminded myself, taking a breath, and walking down to the sitting area, choosing the stiffest, most straight-backed chairs there were, but it was also the farthest from Malfoy. Jade followed me, looking at me with incredulous eyes.

"Really, Rose? There's _plenty _of room over there, by the fire, its freezing over here!" Jade tried to tug my by the arm to the fire. I stayed stubbornly put. She glanced over to the fireplace, seeing James and Malfoy for the first time. Her eyebrows shot up and her tone sounded disapproving as she said, "Really? You can't avoid him all year, he's your Housemate for Heaven's Sake! What is this even about?"

I stayed silent. Jade threw her hands in the air, surrendering. "Fine! Suit yourself," She cried, then stalked off to join James and Albus. She shook her head, disapproving of my stubbornness. I sat there for a moment, watching James smile up at her and scooting over to make room for her, and watching as Jade introduced herself to Malfoy, shaking his hand. He smiled at her, then glanced at me for a second, smirking, as if saying _She's playing nice, why can't you?_ I shook my head and cracked open to closest book I could find, which turned out to be an _incredibly_ boring account of the different headmasters that were at Hogwarts. I turned to the cover, and read the author's name, Professor H.J. Binns. I prayed vehemently that he wasn't one of my professors.

"Hi," a small voice said, and I found myself looking up at the hazel eyes of Elysse Longbottom. Her pink face looked a little red, she had probably just washed her face. I gave her a smile in greeting. "Is this seat taken?"

"No, have a seat," I said, clearing off my book bag to make room. She lowered herself into the enormously uncomfortable chair, but still smiling, started a conversation with me. Mostly, we talked about our families and the Battle of Hogwarts, and expressing our disappointment at the fact that such exciting things probably wouldn't happen in our seven years here. Eventually, the prefects woke up, and Lisa commanded all of the students' attention. Well, the first year students, anyways, all the other students were clambering through the portrait hole.

"All right, new Gryffindors, once you reach the Great Hall for breakfast you will receive your schedules. You will always have classes with your fellow Gryffindors, and occasionally you will have some classes with the other Houses." Lisa's mint green eyes twinkled in anticipation of the new year. "Now, follow me, if you please, and we will go down to the Great Hall. Don't worry, you'll find your way around sooner or later," Lisa added, noticing the mortified expression on Elysse's face, she was probably worried that she would get lost trying to find her way around the castle. We followed Lisa out of the portrait hole and down the hall, coming to a staircase, making dozens of turns, going down another staircase, making a couple of more turns, then finally coming to the top of the Grand Staircase, a huge glistening marble stairwell that emptied into the Entrance Hall. We descended it's large steps and pushed through the doors into the Great Hall. Most of the students were already there and eating, and Lisa ran off to join her brainy, prefect friends.

I sat beside Elysse Longbottom and a girl named Charlotte Hanover. Charlotte was also a first year, with curly pale blonde hair, a fair complexion, and big navy eyes set in a small, heart-shaped face. She was small, with slight curves, and tiny feet.

I was talking to Charlotte about Quidditch, quite possibly the most _spectacular_ game in the world, when Jade sat across from me, smiling. Cleary, our earlier squabble was forgotten. She scarfed down her corn beef hash, chatting amiably with us and introducing herself to Charlotte, who, even though was our roommate, had fallen asleep almost immediately upon arrival at our dormitory.

Suddenly, the screeching of owls overhead startled us all from our breakfasts. "It's the post," james explained to us. "Nearly everyone at Hogwarts looks forward to it." A tiny dark brown owl landed on front of my plate, surprisingly. Tied to its scaly leg was a note; untying it from the owl I saw that it was from Teddy Lupin, a great friend of our family.

_Rosie~_

_Sorry I couldn't make it to see you off to Hogwarts! You'll love it there, I swear. Things have been pretty busy for me, but good. Write to me about your first day! I'll be expecting an immediate reply _

_Teddy_

_P.S. Give Victoire my love_

Taped to the back of the note was a small piece of chocolate. Grinning, I took a little piece of parchment from my bag and scribbled a reply.

_Teddy~_

_Too soon to tell. But the breakfasts are delicious! Tell Mum and Dad I send my love. I'll send Iris with all the details tonight._

_Hope to see you soon!_

_Rosie_

I tied the note to the owl's leg, gave it a nibble of food, and sent it on it's way. The owl fluttered out of the Great Hall, followed by thousands of others.

"Teddy?" asked James, holding up a note with Teddy's untidy scrawl on it.

"Yup," showing James my note. At that moment, Headmistress McGonagall commanded the attention of the students.

"Hello, students! It is my pleasure to announce that today is the first academic day of our new school year at Hogwarts (raucous applause)! I would like to welcome all of our first years, and if they would please check under their plates to see their schedules. have an excellent day!" The Headmistress took her seat again, and a couple eager students filed out of the Great Hall. I picked up my schedule. All of the Gryffindors' schedules were identical of course, but we had double Potions with Slytherin, double Herbology with Hufflepuff, double History of Magic with Slytherin, and double Charms with Ravenclaw.

I was ecstatic that we had so many classes with Slytherin; I would get to see Al more often! I devoured the rest of my food; grabbing Jade's hand and rushing out of the Great Hall.

"Why the rush, Rose? We still have fifteen minutes," Jade inquired. I looked at her as if she were a child.

"Have you _seen_ the size of the castle, Jade? It's huge! And we barely know our way around! It could take forever for us to get to our first class, and I don't want to be late!" I explained, and my idea seemed to dawn on Jade's pretty face.

"All right then, let's go."

Jade and I wandered the halls of the castle for a long time, trying to find the Potions classroom desperately. Ten minutes had already passed, and the map on the back of our schedules only helped minimally. Finally, right as the bell rang, Jade and I burst into the Potions classroom, filled with beakers and jars filled with assorted things. A stone desk in the back of the classroom was adorned with moving pictures of a pretty blonde-haired woman hugging another woman, identical to her except for her chocolate brown locks.

I rushed into one of the tables, which sat four, and climbed onto the tall stool, setting my pewter cauldron in front of me. Jade took the seat next to me, and a minute later the door burst open, and in came Albus, laughing and chatting with a mousy, blonde-haired boy. I waved at him and he hurried over to our table, the boy following him. Al looked incredibly happy, like he had finally found his niche. He beamed at us as he claimed the seat on my right. The mousy boy sat beside him. "Hey guys!" Al exclaimed. "This is Christian, Christian this is Rose and Jade." Christian flashed us a toothy smile.

"You never told me you hung out with such pretty girls, Al," Christian joked, "What else have you been hiding from me?" We all laughed, and Jade decided to be flirty back.

"Why thank you, Christian the Slytherin."

We ended our conversation when the door in the front of the dungeon opened, and a very tall witch wearing elegant silver robes strode up to the table in the front of the classroom. "Good morning class," she addressed, "I am Professor Baynes, your Potions teacher. I encourage you all to pay attention during my class, as you may not want to miss a single detail in the recipe that may one day save your life." Professor Baynes's navy blue eyes twinkled back at us, her young face lively. She looked to be no older than twenty-six, and she was incredibly pretty to boot. She was very tall, at least 5'9", and she had small, defined features. She had a handful of freckles across her nose; perfectly sloped, like a ski slope. She had very large dark blue eyes and full pink lips. Every boy in class paid rapt attention. I liked her friendly smile immediately. We commenced the year with learning about simple potions, such as Shrinking Potions and Spotting Potions. It was an incredibly enjoyable class, and Professor Baynes turned out to be one of the best teachers I've ever had, she had a lively way of teaching and _never_ singled a student out for anything.

Next, Jade and I parted ways with Albus and trotted to History of Magic, which was a good while away. We got there a little earlier than the bell though, we had started getting used to the ginormous castle.

As we walked in, we were greeted by a middle-aged man with a thick brown beard and a jolly face. He introduced himself as Professor Paige, our new History of Magic teacher. Apparently, Professor Binns, the author of my horribly boring book, had taught up until last year, when he finally retired. We spent that class period getting to know each other and learning about the seven different meeting of the International Council of Centaurs over the centuries.

We had Transfiguration with Professor Chen, a tall, thin woman with coifed black hair streaked with silver and Asian features. She turned into a raven with some graying feathers when she transformed for us, earning herself a round of loud, rowdy cheers. We spent that class covering the basics of simple Transfiguration, and she even gave us matches and told us to turn them into sewing pins. She told us that we would be working at this for the next week or so, and was absolutely beside herself with delight when my match turned to pure silver.

"Not quite, dear, but at this rate, you'll be turning matches to pins faster than you can say 'Transfigure'."

The rest of my classes were amazingly fun, of course, but there was only one downside. Malfoy was in every single one of my classes. For the most part, we tried to be civil to each other, but whenever he made a move to sit down next to me I snapped. He got the hint in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and sulked off into a corner with Carter Thomas and Patrick Finnigan, two other Gryffindor boys, whose parents also knew mine.

"Hello, class," A rather short woman said, wearing deep purple robes and a deep grin set in her round face. She had chestnut-brown wavy hair which went a little past her shoulders. "I am Professor Lumo, Your DADA teacher. Now if you would please take out your quills and parchment and copy down the following…."

Professor Lumo went on to describe the characteristics of a grindylow, when she sighed and leaned back against her desk. I noticed for the first time that there was a very large rectangular object covered by a white sheet on her desk. "Now tell me, what's the point of describing these creatures, when you can see and study them for yourself?" Some people in the class shrugged. Professor Lumo just continued on. "So class, we are going to start a little project…." Professor Lumo whipped the white sheet off of the object on her desk. Several girls in the class, namely Panya Pahad and Chelsea Swanson, gasped at the sight of a small grayish thing, with webbed hands and a wicked smile, pressed against the glass of a huge glass aquarium. "This, is a real grindylow, class. Over the course of a week, we are going to observe it and at the end of the week, we will compile together, as a class, what you think are it's methods of hurting somebody. Now, please line up, and spend a couple minutes in front of the tank, four people observing at a time. Take loads of notes, students!" We spent the remainder of the class period chatting excitedly while waiting for our turn to take notes, Professor Lumo occasionally peeking at what we've written. I found myself at the tank with none other than Jade, Carter Thomas, and of course, Scorpius Malfoy. He tried talking to me several times, and I just coldly ignored him and struck up a warm conversation with Carter. Jade, looking disappointed in me of course, decided to chat withvMalfoy.

Overall, it was a great lesson. Professor Lumo glanced at my notes and looked incredibly impressed. "Very observant, Miss Weasley. I have high hopes for you," Professor Lumo gave me a warm smile which seemed unfitting for a teacher who specialized in everything about the Dark Arts.

* * *

Jade, Elysse, Charlotte Hanover and I took our seats at the Gryffindor table for dinner. I tucked in to my plate for a minute, then caught sight of my cousins Victoire and Dominique sitting at the Ravenclaw table, talking to none other than Roxanne Weasley, another of my cousins. She had Aunt Angelina's black, curly hair, and Uncle George's bright blue eyes. Her face was built more like Uncle George's, but her skin was a dark mocha color, about three shades darker than her twin's, Fred. She was laughing with them.

I sauntered over to the Ravenclaw table, remembering that Teddy wanted me to send his girlfriend, Victoire, his love. Lily secretly wanted them to get married once Victoire graduated (she was a sixth year now), so that Teddy would be an official Weasley/Potter family member.

"Hey Vic," I said, draping my arm over her shoulder and smirking as she sighed.

"You know I hate that name, Rosie!" Victoire said, saying something to Dominique in French.

"All the more reason to call you that," I reasoned, drawing laughs out of Roxy and Dom. "By the way, Teddy sends his love."

Victoire's delicate pale skin flushed prettily, and she broke out into a huge smile, seeming to glow from the roots of her silvery hair to the tips of her small feet, the way she always did when you mentioned Teddy in her presence. Dom laughed, flipping her deep red hair over her shoulder. Though she didn't have the silvery hair that Victoire possessed, she had inherited Aunt Fleur's veela genes. She already had all of the boys in her year (second-year) fawning over her, and it was the first day. She had Aunt Fleur's wide sky blue eyes, like her sister, who was the spitting image of their mother. Louis, their brother, had strawberry blonde hair that was slightly wavy, and a lean figure, especially for a ten-year-old. He'd be starting at Hogwarts next year, a year before Lily and Hugo.

Roxy came up behind me, this time draping her arm over _my_ shoulder, and said, "So, Rosie-Posie," I rolled my eyes at the nickname that Roxy and her brother, the mischievous ones of the family, had given me. "How's your day going?" she continued.

"Oh, it's gonna be a great year," I smiled.

* * *

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for the reviews and everything :)**

**After this chapter I'm gonna skip forward a few years, so that we can have more action. And I'd like to send shoutouts to my wonderful reviewers, especially Lisi and BrasilLove (who will someday be known as Mrs. George Weasley) for being awesome and putting up with my adoration for a certain Ron Weasley on a daily basis :)**

**Please R&R!**

**Ally**


	5. Unwanted Confessions

The next two years of my life at Hogwarts seemed to go by in a blur: A blur of coming out on top in every single one of my classes (much to the delight of my teachers); a blur of hanging out with Jade, Al, Elysse, Charlotte, and the multitude of Weasley/Potters at the school; a blur of trying my hardest to hate Scorpius Malfoy when he makes it _so bloody hard_. These were the thoughts running through my head as I leaned out of the window of the _Hogwarts Express_, waving goodbye to the shrinking images of my parents. I recoiled as the train pulled out of the station, the steam billowing around me so much that I had a minor coughing fit.

"You okay there, Rosie?" Jade asked, a smirk set on her lips. Jade seemed to be the kind of girl who just got prettier and prettier with age, not the other way around. Her slim body had filled out, and she started caring about her looks much more than she used to. Next to the laughing Jade was my little brother, now eleven, looking terrified of starting his new year at Hogwarts. He had grown up quite a lot, too. He was no longer the dorky, innocent nine-year-old I left at the station two years ago, when it had been my first day. His messy-by-nature red hair had tamed a miniscule bit, his front teeth had grown in and his blue eyes had grown deeper and wiser. Of course, that sounded silly, he was only eleven, how wise could he be?

Opposite Hugo was Lily, my cousin, who was also starting her first year. Lily possessed the "Weasley Beauty", as many Hogwarts boys had dubbed it. This was a quality that seemed to have skipped me, however, I thought, observing my beautiful cousin. At eleven, Lily still had possession of that girlish innocence, which made her even more pretty. Lily used to be the spitting image of her mother, but she grew more and more like her father every day. She had long, pin-straight bright red hair, with her mother's large, innocent brown eyes. Her skin was pale and clear, and her face was bright and youthful. She smiled frequently, and was incredible fun to be around. She looked at me, noticing that I was staring, and giggled.

"Take a picture, Chipmunk, it'll last longer," Lily had a smirk on her lips. I groaned at the utility of my childhood nickname. When I was six, our huge family decided to go on a joint camping trip. James, Victoire, Teddy, Lily and I had decided to explore for a bit, and I saw a tiny baby chipmunk lounging by the base of a tree. I fell in love with it, and proceeded to try and catch it. Of course, I wasn't successful, and I ended up with a lot of tears and a chipmunk bite on my hand. Teddy, after he had gotten over the fear that the rodent was carrying some kind of disease, dubbed me "Chipmunk", and I had never lived it down.

I stuck my tongue out childishly at my younger cousin, and we all laughed. Jade was beaming, apparently she loved my family. I didn't think that they were anything special, and I was a little afraid that Jade would think that it was lame to ride to the school with my little brother and cousin, but apparently my fears were silly. A knock at the doorframe of our train compartment sobered us up though, and I looked to see the unbearably gorgeous face of my cousin, Dominique.

My face broke into a huge smile, and Dom took this as an invitation to come in and sit down. She squeezed between Lily and I, pushing the limits of the small compartment, and draped her arms around our shoulders, grinning. Dom was the daughter of Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur, and had inherited all of her mother's veela charms, though she strongly took after her father. Dom had a silky, straight sheet of deep red hair, usually worn in a messy ponytail, and which never seemed oily or knotted. Her eyes were a deep, cozy brown, framed with thick, dark lashes. Dom had her mother's clear, flawless skin, and seemed to glow sometimes.

"Hey Rosiekins, Lils," Dom said, teasing me. _I guess it's tease Rose day_, I thought jokingly. Dom's eyes flitted in the direction of Jade, still smiling. "I'm Jade, Jade Ling," she said, reaching her hand out for Dom to shake. Jade had, of course, already known about my cousin, everyone did, but she was forever polite.

"I'm Dom Weasley," introduced my cousin, "So glad to meet you!" Dom was practically beaming. Whatever Dom said, she meant it, and everyone knew it. "Your relation to my cousin is…."

"Best friend," I finished, smiling at Jade. Dom nodded, saying that she figured, when footsteps in the aisle distracted all of us.

I looked out of the door to see Malfoy passing through the hall, staring at me with a small smile and waving slightly. Cleary, he was trying to be friendly. I stared back, following his every move, though I wasn't trying to be friendly at all. Dom's eyes were wide as Malfoy slowly passed by, and she turned to me smirking.

"And what's his relation to you, dear cousin of mine? Boyfriend, perhaps…?" Dom purred. I blushed furiously as Jade giggled loudly.

"Oh get out, you!" I cried, "You are such a _prick_ sometimes!" I pushed Dom out into the hallway, she was still smirking.

"So you don't deny it, then!" She turned it on me, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Get!"

When Dom was finally heading to her own compartment to see her own fourth-year friends, I settled back in my seat, trying desperately to reduce the blush in my cheeks. Jade looked at me deviously.

"I quite like your cousin, Rose," Jade said, her smirk evident in her voice, "She was right, you didn't deny it!" Jade resumed her uncontrollable giggles, which soon morphed into hearty laughter as my face reddened.

"Not you too!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air. I stalked out of the compartment.

"Where are you going, Rosie?" asked Jade, still giggling.

"To find my more tolerable cousins," I answered matter-of-factly, before wandering through the train, wondering where Al could be….

* * *

I went back to Jade eventually. I only lasted five minutes with his Slytherin friends, besides Christian, who I could stand. The majority of the lot that Al hung out with were big, lumbering, ignoramuses. They were nice enough, of course, but had trouble putting together thoughts that didn't have anything to do with Quidditch or famous wizards, and my presence seemed to impair this ability even more. I eventually excused myself, with the excuse of having to go check over all of my stuff, and escaped to my old compartment, laughing when Jade looked at me as if she had expected me all along.

A couple hours later, the whistle had blown and we had stopped, filed off of the train, said hello to Hagrid, and boarded the horseless carriages that took us into Hogwarts.

I marveled on the way there, gawking at the quaint little village of Hogsmeade, where I would probably be spending a lot of my time in. We passed the quaint shops that looked like they had just been brought out of a postcard, and trundled down a path leading through a small, wooded area. We pulled through impressive gates, flanked on either side by imposing winged boars, and finally came to a stop in front of the looming castle in front of us.

"It's our third year, Jade. We are almost halfway through," I said mournfully, and Jade shot me an ungrateful look.

"Just like you Rose, going and making me all depressed…." reprimanded Jade, but her eyes were twinkling, so I knew she wasn't truly disappointed. We filed through the doors for the third time, strutting through the large doors and taking our seats at the halfway-filled tables. I chatted with Jade and Charlotte, eventually chatting with Elysse as Jade flirted with Patrick Finnigan.

McGonagall had made her speech to the first years and we were all feeling excited as they filed nervously into the Great Hall, looking around at the unfamiliar faces. I scanned the crowd for a redhead, and soon found the two that I was looking for. Hugo's bright blue eyes caught mine right as I caught sight of him. He grinned sheepishly and gave me a shy smile. Lily, on the other hand, had started jumping up and down excitedly once she saw me, looking quite like a rabbit on caffeine. Charlotte, her navy eyes following my gaze, caught sight of Lily, as did most of the Hogwarts students and staff.

"Your brother and sister?" Charlotte inquired, raising one blonde eyebrow. She had noticed that we were all redheads. I shook my head.

"Brother and cousin," I replied.

"I should have figured as much, you've only been blabbing about how excited you were for them to arrive since the last day last year," Charlotte teased. I laughed, and waited impatiently for the Sorting to continue and get to my young relatives. That's the downside of having last names on the lower end of the alphabet.

After what seemed like hours later but was probably only minutes, Lily's name was called. I held my breath and crossed my fingers as the Sorting Hat slipped over her eyes. It took barely a second for the hat to declare Lily a Gryffindor, and our table burst with tears. I stood up, screaming and cheering as the young redhead made her way to my table. Carter even catcalled as she joined us, and I gave him a glare so fierce he flinched.

"Why the sudden outbreak of your infamous temper, Rosie?" Carter asked.

"My cousin. Hands off," I commanded, nodding in Lily's direction. Carter, though super-nice, was a notorious flirt, and I didn't want him anywhere near Lily.

Carter's eyes widened and he put his hands up. "God, I'm sorry, Rose! I didn't know!" His hazel eyes said that he really was sorry, so I smiled at him.

"Relax, Thomas," I began, calling him by his surname as we sometimes did, "You're acting like I was about to bite your head off or something!" I chuckled.

"Well, _Weasley_," Carter retaliated, "With that temper, you might've!" His quick-wit drew a couple of "oohs" and laughs from our group of friends, and even Malfoy, seated next to Carter, smiled. I gave him a glare that he did not expect, and he shrunk back, looking at me sadly. His grey eyes were melancholy. Jade shot me a disapproving look, she really wished that I wouldn't hat Malfoy so much. She had become more relentless last year, and I was afraid that she would try and get me to get over my hate this year if it was the last thing that she did.

"Weasley, Hugo!" McGonagall called out, and as I was two years ago, Hugo was the last name to be called. He nervously made his way up to the front of the hall; he hated being the center of attention. He cast a fleeting look around at us for a moment, then lowered himself down onto the stool. The headmistress's hand lowered the Sorting Hat onto Hugo's head, and it covered his eyebrows. I waited with bated breath to see where he would be Sorted.

"Hey, where do you think he's gonna end up?" Jade whispered next to me.

"Sssh!" I hissed back, my eyes never leaving my brother. If I had actually answered her question, I would've probably answered Hufflepuff. To be honest, Hugo wasn't as incredibly smart and eager to learn as a potential Ravenclaw, he wasn't as cunning or ambitious as a potential Slytherin, he wasn't as brave as a potential -

"GRYFFINDOR!" Hugo was beaming as he made his way to our table. I felt my jaw drop as he waved at me, and I gave him two thumbs up. He squeezed in next to Lily, beaming.

I quickly racked my mind for traits of Hugo's that I might of overlooked. I came up with nothing, and felt ashamed. He was my own brother! I don't even know what Gryffindor traits he has, and I grew up with him!

"Congrats, Hugo!" Jade exclaimed, leaning across the table to give my brother a high-five. I smiled at him, leaning across the table and ruffling his hair.

"Hey!" he cried, trying to smooth his tousled hair. I laughed as I stuck my tongue out at him, and he stuck his tongue out at me in return. Malfoy was watching our exchange with an amused expression, and for once, I forgot to glare at him.

* * *

"Blast-Ended Skrewt," Molly, one of my cousins and a Gryffindor prefect, instructed us, glancing at the frightened faces of the first years. Molly was definitely more terse and businesslike than the prefect that brought me up to the cozy Gryffindor common room, Lisa. Molly was definitely her father's daughter, she had no time for goofing off.

Jade and I strode inside after some of the older students, and we were followed by the second and first years. I looked around at the room, unchanged since the first time I came here, a fire already flickering in the large stone fireplace. I plopped onto the comfortable red velvet couch positioned right in front of the cozy fire, and sighed contentedly. Jade curled up on the floor in front of me, she preferred it for some strange reason, and closed her eyes.

"Welcome home, Rosie," She sighed.

"Welcome home, Jade," I replied. Hugo came up to me, his eyes wide.

"This is where we stay? For the _whole_ year?" He asked disbelievingly. I nodded in relpy, a grin on my face. Hugo's face lit up brilliantly. He turned and spotted the person I really didn't want to have to put up with right now. "Hey, Scorpius! Over here!" Hugo waved his arm at Malfoy, beckoning him to come sit on the couch with us.

A grin illuminated Malfoy's pale face, and he excused himself from his friends and sat next to Hugo. "Hey, Scorpius! I can't believe I'm a Gryffindor!" He cried.

Malfoy smiled at him, ruffling his hair much like I had done earlier. I just watched the scene incredulously. "Congrats, kid," Malfoy said.

"You two know each other?" I inquired. Malfoy seemed to notice that I was there for the first time and smiled toothily at me. He nodded.

"We met on the train, Rose," Hugo chirped. What had happened to my brother? The usually painfully shy little boy, the one who barely said a word to anyone, had already made friends with the boy I couldn't stand, of all people?

"Why him?" I asked Hugo, jerking my thumb in Malfoy's direction. The smile wiped off of Hugo's face.

Malfoy gave me a reprimanding look. "Can we talk, Rose?"

"We can talk right here, _Malfoy_," I shot back.

"Privately," He hissed between gritted teeth, I could tell (with satisfaction, of course) that I was getting to him. I opened my mouth to respond snarkily, but he grabbed my wrist and whisked me away before I could say anything. He pulled me to the corner of the room, and stopped but didn't let go of me.

I looked down at his hand on my arm, and the strange fluttering sensation in my stomach made me even angrier. I crossed my arms over my chest, and said, "Let's get this over with before you ruin my first night back."

"Why do you hate me so much?"

Malfoy's question startled me, not because I wasn't expecting it, but because it was so direct. "What?" I asked, on reflex.

There was something almost like pain in Malfoy's eyes now. "Why. Do. You. Hate. Me.?" He repeated, slowly this time.

"I have to go," I announced, shaking his hand off and stomping up the stairs into the girls' dormitory. I climbed onto my bed and sat on it, cross-legged. I bit my lip as I pondered his question. _Why do I hate him?_

I immediately made a list in my head, what I always did when I was confused:

1) I'm expected to.

That didn't work of course, since I was just a _teensy_ bit rebellious and when someone (other than my parents or a teacher, of course) expected me to do something I did exactly the opposite.

2) He was a prat to my cousin/best friend

This was tricky. He was rude, absolutely, but Al was rude first, and that little argument seemed to be completely in the past for them, they even started acting like friends.

3) I don't know what else to feel.

This one made the most sense and the least sense all at once. I immediately stuck with this as my answer.

"Rose?" A tentative voice called from the doorway. It was Jade, and she was peering at me with concern. _Crud, I forgot to close the curtains_, I thought. Then, she wouldn't be able to see me with my eyebrows knitted together and my lip being gnawed off, which was exactly what was happening right now. "You okay?" Jade sat on the corner of my bed. "What was that all about? You sort of started talking really loudly, and we saw you storm off. Scorpius looked pretty crestfallen and confused, though."

"He wanted to know why I hate him so much," I answered, looking Jade straight in the eye and knowing _exactly_ what her response would be.

"Well, we all do. So speak up."

"He insulted my cousin," I replied, going down my mental list of reasons.

Jade saw through this just as quickly as I did. "That's not the reason and we both know it, Rose Weasley. That was _ages_ ago, and Scorpius and Al both made up."

"I'm expected to."

"No you're not!" Jade argued. "Sure, your parents were mortal enemies, but _no one _expects you two to be, except maybe yourself. Now when are you gonna stop acting so silly and tell me the real rea-"

"I don't know what else to feel about him, okay!" I shouted, surprising even myself at my frustration. I balled my fists and punched the pillow. "Is that all right for you? I sure hope so, because I'm going to sleep. Good night." I said tersely, annoyed that Jade had gotten the answer out of me. I plopped backwards onto my bed, peeking at Jade as I did so. Her almond eyes were as wide as saucers, and her mouth made a tiny, surprised _o_.

"Sweet Dreams," I said, softer this time, and pulled the curtains around me and succumbed to sleep.

* * *

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for the fantastic reviews! It always makes me smile to see "FF Story Review" or "FF Story Alert" in my inbox. **

**Please R&R!**

**Ally**


	6. Coupling Up

The next morning went by quickly. I threw on my school clothes and robes, chatted with Elysse and Carter even though I really wasn't listening, and finally sat down in my usual spot for breakfast. Jade kept trying to get me to look her in the eyes, but I nonchalantly avoided her. She was started to get a little frustrated though, and with Jade, frustration only makes her try harder.

"Hey, Rose, have good dreams?" she asked, trying to initiate a conversation.

"Mmm," I replied casually, "Carter, pass the potatoes, will you?"

A great flutter of wings overhead diverted our attention from our food temporarily. My mum's owl, Athena, a great big snowy owl, landing in front of me, perched on my empty plate. She had a great big letter tied to her leg. I hastily unwrapped the letter, they always excited me.

_Rose,_

_Your father tells me that you're trying for Seeker this year! That's the best position if you ask me - though I may be a bit biased. Your mother, as always, is worried about it, as you know I received quite a few injuries in my time, but don't let her get to you. Quidditch is great!_

_In other news, Rita Skeeter unfortunately uncovered quite a bit of information about Teddy and Victoire's upcoming wedding, though it is quite reminiscent of a certain story published about your mum twenty-two years ago. I reckon you'll want to read it for a laugh, what that woman writes is so ridiculous! I'm surprised she hasn't been sacked yet._

_With Love,_

_Uncle Harry_

Enclosed behind his letter was a copy of _Witch Weekly_, and on the cover was a picture of Victoire and Teddy, next to it was an illustration from a DADA textbook of a veela ensnaring a human man. I laughed, deciding to read on.

**ANOTHER WIZARD UNDER A VEELA'S SPELL: THE TRUE STORY BEHIND THE LOVE OF TED LUPIN AND VICTORIA WEASLEY**

By: Rita Skeeter

_We all know of the "true love" between celebrity children Ted Lupin, son of werewolf Remus Lupin and witch Nymphadora Tonks, and Victoria Weasley, daughter of Bill Weasley and Tri-Wizard Champion Fleur Delacour. But what we don't know, is that the joining of these two young people may actually be because of a vela's irrestible charm, and not love at all._

_Tears well in the eyes of young, pretty Harrietta Whitcombe, a once close friend of Victoria's, as she recounts her friend's treachery. "She just came into the common room one day and told me, 'I'm going to charm Ted Lupin, Harrietta. And I will let nothing stop me.'" Harrietta pauses. "Vicky treated is as a game, she did. She would come back and brag to me about how many boys she had charmed today. It was horrible and I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't back down. And now I hate to think of the life poor Teddy could have had had he not fallen under Vicky's spell."_

_Miss Weasley has been reported to have charmed countless boys in her years at Hogwarts, then tossing them away when she saw someone else. "It broke my heart to see the charmed boys follow her around like puppies, but if they only knew Vicky for what she truly is…." continues Miss Whitcombe._

_Miss Weasley is not the only one of her kind, however. She has a younger sister who has been known to use her veela genes as tools in a game, a certain Dominique Weasley, in her fourth-year at Hogwarts. Agatha Goyle, a fellow fourth-year at Hogwarts, calls Dominique Weasley's habits deplorable and disgusting. "Dom has had the boys in our class pining over her since second-year," Miss Goyle reports. Clearly, Dominique Weasley has been herding the boys away from much prettier and worthier girls, a prime example being Miss Goyle herself._

_And, our sources say, Miss Weasley's mother has often been known to toy with men's emotions, having even more veela blood in her than her cruel daughters. Which leaves the question: is Fleur and Bill Weasley's marriage real? Or just as false as her daughter's upcoming one?_

_So watch out men, you never know when a veela is coming your way…._

I couldn't resist - I laughed out loud. Very loudly. So loudly, that in fact, people started staring. Carter looked at me funny, a piece of bacon hanging from his fingers.

"You okay, Weasley?" inquired he. I stifled my laughs a bit. Skeeter couldn't even spell Vic's name right! And that Harrietta Whitcombe was a pointy-nosed princess who was so jealous of Vic that she openly hated her, and to top it all off she fancied Teddy. And don't get me started on Agatha Goyle. She looked pretty much like her father; a gorilla with curly black hair and a skirt. I was so glad that Uncle Harry sent me the article, I needed a laugh!

"I'm fine, Thomas. Eat your bacon," I giggled. One of my roommates, Maria Lopez, looked between the two of us curiously and I inwardly groaned. Now both her and Jade were trying to meaningfully catch my eye. Oh, lovely.

Note the heavy sarcasm.

We finally finished our breakfasts, and I sent Athena off with my response to Uncle Harry. Who knew we shared the same sense of humor. Jade caught up to me as I speed-walked down the hall.

"That was quite the confession, yesterday Rosie." Jade looked at me; blue eyes meeting brown. "I didn't know that, and something tells me you didn't either." Jade stopped walking and so did I.

"Yeah, you're right, I didn't. Now please tell me what Al is doing with that fourth-year?" My eyes caught sight of my cousin talking to a fourth-year girl that I knew to be named Lisi Hernandez. She was pretty, with incredibly long and shiny jet-black hair pulled into a plait and tucked under a beret, pale, clear skin, and big brown eyes framed with impossibly long and dark lashes. But what did he think he was doing, talking to a fourth-year? Sure, she wasn't much older than him, and sure, she was pretty and nice but she was a _girl_. I laughed out loud at my silliness. What did it matter if my best friend talked to a girl and was possibly even flirting? It didn't, that's the answer.

Jade shrugged. "I dunno, let's go check it out." So Jade and I made our way through the courtyard to them, stopping when we reached them.

"Hey guys," I said, looking between them. Both blushed.

"Hey, Rosie," Al said. "This is Lisi. Lisi, this is my cousin, Rose."

Lisi extended a hand which sported extremely perfect fingernails. I found myself wondering if they were naturally perfect, or if she labored over them every night. I put my owning hand in hers, sporting not nearly as perfect nails, and shook it. Her grip was surprisingly firm, and her smile wide as she greeted me.

"Nice to meet you, Rose. Well, Al, I gotta go, here's the book I was talking about," Lisi handed him a worn black book. "Bye!" she exclaimed, flipping her long plait over her shoulder and striding off. I snatched the book from him and turned it over, reading the summary on the back.

"Hmm, _The Hunger Games_, sounds interesting," I replied, "but no magic, I'm guessing."

Al shook his head. "Lisi's a Muggle-born, you know -"

"What's wrong with being Muggle-born, Albus Severus Potter?"

"Nothing, Rose," Al said hastily, trying to avoid my wrath, "It's just that this is a Muggle book that she read, so no magic." Al reached for his borrowed book and I plopped it into his hand.

"Well, she's nice, Al," I said, a teasing smirk on my face as he blushed furiously.

* * *

"Class, we will be learning about the Draught of Loathing, today. As you may know, the Draft of Loathing is very useful if you are trying to turn two people against each other. I have the antidote right here," Professor Baynes held up a small green vial, "so that the effects will not be permanent. As a precaution, however, _I _will be pairing you up with people you don't know as well, so that anything they may say will not hurt as much as it would if spoken by your best friend." Professor Baynes then began pairing us up, and the class was shifting seats to be near their partners. I turned to Jade and wished her luck; potions weren't her subject. "Now class, the Draft of Loathing is very similar ingredient-wise to a Love Potion, so be warned. I have the antidote to that too, just in case."

"Haha, try not to make your partner fall head over heels for you, Jade. Well, every third-year Gryffindor boy , save Al, who has Lisi, is already head over heels in love with you."

"I wish, Rose," Jade laughed.

Professor Baynes strode up to us, her honey-blond hair perfectly pulled back. "Let's see, how about you go with Mr. Thomas, Miss Ling?" Jade gathered her cauldron and went to sit with Carter. I smiled; the two flirts were stuck with each other. Professor Baynes studied me. "You are very gifted in Potions, Miss Weasley, so it's safe to say you'll need a gifted partner…." Professor Baynes snapped her finger as she scanned the room for potential partners. "Mr. Malfoy, please partner up with Miss Weasley."

Malfoy gave me a smile as he made his way over to me, toting his cauldron and bag of ingredients. I just ignored him as I set up my cauldron, muttering a spell that conjured a small blue flame under my cauldron. I quickly set to work on my potion, referring to the piece of parchment Malfoy and I shared for the recipe.

"You're pretty good at this, you know," Malfoy said as we chopped up our caterpillars. I gave him a quizzical look. Catching this, he added, "Ignoring people. Acting cold toward people. You know, stuff like that," he paused, "I must have been such a total git if I somehow managed to be the one person you hated." He looked at me sadly.

"Not true, I hate loads of people," I replied in an even voice, adding my chopped caterpillar bits.

"Name five," Malfoy challenged skeptically. I bit my lip.

"Uh, you, Agatha Goyle, Henrietta Whitcombe, er, Voldemort?" I responded.

Malfoy chuckled, and I tried and failed to fight back a smile. I sprinkled some mayfly wings into m brew, stirred until it became a violent shade of red, and shot my hand in the air. Malfoy soon did the same.

"I'm impressed you two," Professor Baynes declared, beaming. "These are two perfect specimens. Ready to try them out?" Our professor cocked a blonde eyebrow, looking between us. We nodded.

Professor Baynes measured two _very_ small helpings into goblets and handed the goblets to us, mine had Malfoy's potion and his had mine. "Why so small, Professor?" Malfoy asked.

"Because if given too much, the draught will induce murderous instincts, and we don't even want to hate each other so much." I had answered for Professor Baynes.

"Miss Weasley is exactly right, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Baynes confirmed. "Now class, watch Mr. Malfoy and Miss Weasley, their potions should work perfectly. Miss Weasley, first if you please."

I downed my small helping, trying to ignore the putrid metallic smell, smelling much like blood and, strangely, onions. All of a sudden, my insides burned with anger and hatred to the blonde boy next to me. "You are such an ARROGANT GIT!" I screamed loudly, capturing the attention of all my classmates. "You're _stupid_, and _cocky_, and I abhor every thing about you!" Malfoy's eyes were huge, hurt, grey orbs in his pale face, and his mouth made a shocked _o, _but I didn't care and a red mist was playing around the edges of my vision. "You think that everyone wants to be your best friend, but I'll tell you one thing, Malfoy, that is one thing that I will NEVER be!"

Professor Baynes poured out some of the antidote, hurriedly giving it to me. I drank it, and immediately felt cooled down a lot. I realized that everyone was staring at me, and I blushed slightly. I looked sideways at the very insulted boy next to me. "Sorry," I muttered, staring down at my book. And for once, I truly was sorry about the things I said to Scorpius Malfoy.

* * *

Jade and I settled in at the Gryffindor table for lunch, tucking into roast beef sandwiches and mashed potatoes. We laughed about the Potions class. Jade had, of course, brewed a sickeningly pink Love Potion, and unluckily the antidote took a while to take effect, and Carter Thomas was following her around like the lovesick puppy he was. Malfoy's insults were much more shallow and controlled, and he looked as if he was fighting the potion. Jade said it was because he didn't want to hurt me, but I didn't really believe her.

"Hey, ladies," a voice said from behind us. I looked to see Fred standing over my shoulder, and he stole a grape off of my plate. Standing next to him was Julia Ruiz, a fellow fifth-year, and one of his partners in crime. She had a big smile that showed off her white, even teeth. She had tan skin, straight black hair to her shoulders, and light brown eyes that twinkled, especially when she was pranking somebody.

"Fred, Julia," I greeted, and Jade nodded and smiled at them.

"Well, Rosie, I hear that your friend Jade here brewed a perfect love potion!"

Jade blushed at his praise and nodded.

"Baynes taught you that?" Fred asked skeptically.

"No, Jade just _really_ screwed up her Draught of Loathing," I smiled.

"Good, 'cause I want you to teach me," he said, leaning toward Jade conspiratorially and jerking his chin in Julia's direction.

Jade laughed, not knowing if he was serious or joking, and simply replied, "I don't know if I could do it again, to tell you the truth."

We all laughed at Jade's statement and Fred excuse himself and Julia, who took their places a little further down from where we sat.

* * *

I was walking out of DADA when a certain silvery-blonde came up and grabbed my wrist, tugging me down the hallway. "What are you doing, Malfoy?" I cried, struggling to get free, but his grip was too strong.

Malfoy strode down the hallway and a had to jog a bit to keep from stumbling. Finally, we came to a door which I recognized as an empty classroom. He opened the door, it was unlocked, and pushed me in. He walked in after me and closed the door. My heart beat a little bit faster.

The room had desks pushed against the walls and a huge cabinet half-covered with a sheet in the corner of the room. It hadn't been used in a _long_ time; the vaulted ceiling was full of cobwebs. I shivered; I _hated_ spiders. They scared the living daylights out of me.

I ran a hand through my bushy auburn hair. "What's this about, Malfoy? I need to get to-" I said, trying to duck around Malfoy and get out of the classroom.

Malfoy's arm went out to block me and he moved in front of the door. I looked around for an exit; there was none. Now Malfoy ruffled his hair nervously. "We both have a free period, and you know it. Now, we aren't leaving until you give me a good reason why you hate my guts."

I stared him down, crossing my arms over my chest. He did the same. I scowled at him and stayed silent. He sighed and walked up to me, stopping until there was barely any space between us. Man, he was _tall. I just continued scowling at him._

"Why, Rose?" He insisted, a new emotion in his voice and his grey eyes intense and serious. I felt my façade crumbling.

"Because I don't know what else to feel about you, Malfoy," I mumbled.

"Sorry?" Malfoy asked.

"I don't know what else to feel about you!" I cried, ducking around his arms and opening the door of the classroom.

"Then just feel the way I do…" I heard him whisper as I walked out. I pretended that I didn't hear him.

* * *

**Hey! It's me :-) This is the next chapter, as you can tell. I like this, not my favorite, but i like the Scorp in this chapter. So tell me what you think!**

**P.S. if you like seeing the characters as much as i do, here is a fantastic artwork i found that i think is perfect :-)**

**.com/?qh=§ion;=&global=1&q=rose+and+scorpius#/d195xg3**

**Please R&R!**

**Ally Weasley (theatrechic123)**


	7. Fireworks

_Splash!_

I smiled as the stone I threw skipped six times on the water before sinking out of sight. Skipping rocks always cooled me down, but I hadn't gone in three years. Mum and Dad used to take us camping on the coast. Everyday, while Mum fixed dinner, Dad would take Hugo and me down to the rocky shoreline and taught us how to skip them across the wavy water. Sometimes, Mum would come down and sit on a blanket with a book, watching us with a smile on her face.

I missed those outings. Now, I would invite Jade and Charlotte and Elysse over for a week or two, and when they weren't over I would be out in the fields flying on my broom. We hardly ever spent time as a family over the summer, anymore. Sure, we would go over to Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny's, they had inherited the Burrow, and spend time with the multitude of our cousins. But we never were together anymore, just the four of us.

_Splash!_

I lost myself so deeply in the memories of the beach that when I heard my name it startled me so much I jumped.

I looked up to see the dark silhouette of a slim girl stumbling down the hill to meet me at the shore.

"Rose!" I waved at her.

"Hey, Jade!" I turned, picked up a large smooth rock, and skipped it across the surface. Seven times.

Jade had gotten to me by now. She was slightly out of breath from trying to keep her balance on the hill. "Rose, you've been out here for your _whole_ free period. It's almost dinner, c'mon!" Jade tugged on my elbow and dragged me towards the castle.

"Wait, let me just skip one more -"

"We don't have time! I don't wanna be late for dinner, McGonagall would be so mad!" Jade pulled me up the hill and started racing back to the large stone castle of Hogwarts. I shook out of her grip and ran of my own accord.

We sprinted through the hallways, now empty because of the upcoming dinner. Finally, I bumped into someone right in front of the doors to the great hall; it was Lisi.

"Hey, Rose, you okay?" She asked, whipping her long braid around as she turned. She was of course referring to the two of us, holding our sides as we panted heavily. Curiosity was clear in her large brown eyes.

"Yeah - we - just -ran straight - from the lake - phew," I replied, panting. Jade nodded. "I don't think - the two- of - you have - been introduced." I finished, catching my breath.

"Lisi," She extended her hand.

"Jade," She shook it. "Nice to meet you."

"Well, let's get into the Great Hall," Lisi announced, "we don't want to be late."

So the three of us walked into the huge room, the tables nearly full, but not quite yet. We took our seats at the table, Lisi taking a seat next to Roxanne and another fourth-year girl. Jade and I squeezed in next to James and Charlotte. A couple more stragglers wandered into the Hall, when finally Professor McGonagall stood and took her place behind the large golden podium, her voice magnifying and echoing around the hall.

"I have some news for you. In two days, we will have our first Hogsmeade weekend. Students third-year and up will be allowed to go into the village, but a permission slip is required." Many of the third year students cheered loudly. Professor McGonagall waited for the commotion to quiet before she continued. "The reason for this weekend to be so soon is this: On October the 31st, we will be having our first ever Masquerade Ball in celebration of Halloween Night. All students are allowed, dress robes and masks required. First and second years, if you choose to go to the Ball and do not have dress robes, you may either write home or place an order at Gladrags Wizardwear in Hogsmeade. Enjoy your dinner!" The Great Hall erupted with cheers and excited whispers.

Food magically appeared on the golden plates and platters in front of us. I piled some sweet potatoes onto my plate. "Rose, who are you going to ask?" Jade murmured.

I snorted. "No one."

"No one?" Jade repeated, her almond eyes wide.

"You could go with me, Rosie," Carter suggested with a wink.

"Is that a question or a suggestion?" I asked.

"Let's call it a question."

"Sure Carter. I'll go to the Ball with you," I said with a grin.

"Better wear something pretty," Carter commanded with a smile, and we all cracked up.

Jade looked at me with amazement. "Wow. One moment, you're saying you won't go with anyone, next you have a date to the Ball. With Carter. That's really something."

"Upset that Rose here got a date before you, hmm?" Carter asked, grinning again. Jade stuck her tongue out at him.

"Not. At. All.," replied Jade, emphasizing each word. "Hey, Finnigan!" Patrick Finnigan turned his head. "Wanna go to the Ball with me?" She asked him, with a coy smile on her lips, looking at him from under her lashes. His eyes widened and went blank for a moment, and I snorted again. Poor Patrick, falling prey to Jade Ling.

I've never seen anyone nod their head faster. "S-sure!" Patrick stuttered.

"Great!" Jade exclaimed. Then she turned to me.

_Oh, great…._

"I'll help you pick out a dress, Rose!" She exclaimed, excitement in her eyes. I groaned. "Don't you trust me?"

I laughed at the false hurt expression on her face. "Fine, Jade, you can help me pick out a dress."

"Make it pretty!" Carter insisted.

"Of course, Carter," Jade said with a smirk.

* * *

The next day, we woke up and dressed quickly, rushing to all of our classes. Professor Baynes looked excited, even, maybe she had a date to the upcoming ball. Professor Chen's class was much easier than ever; she had realized that it would be pointless to try a harder class, our minds were all in Hogsmeade, planning our routes, which shops to hit, what to buy. Even Malfoy seemed to be off in space, not that I was _looking_ at him or anything.

Ever since yesterday, when Malfoy trapped me in the classroom, it became harder and harder to hate him. He kept looking at me sadly, with that melancholy look in his eyes, though. But I couldn't ignore him as well as I used to be able to. Especially then, because Professor Baynes assigned us as permanent partners, because we worked so well together, apparently. I had to admit, we did make a pretty good team though.

When it was finally time to go to bed, we were all relieved. We wanted it to be morning as soon as possible, so that we could get to Hogsmeade. The girls' dormitory was void of the usual low buzz of chatter.

I pulled the curtains around me and drifted off to sleep, excited about the day to come.

* * *

"Rosie! Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up!" I wearily opened my eyes, rubbing the sleep from them. Jade was bouncing on my bed, much like she had done our first morning ever at Hogwarts. "It's Hogsmeade today, Rose! C'mon!" Jade tugged my pillow out from under my head and hit me with it. I laughed.

"Did you drink caffeine today, Jade?" I asked, throwing my feet over the side of my bed. Jade had jumped off and was now doing some sort of dance in the middle of the dormitory.

"We're going to Hogsmeade, we're going to Hogsmeade!" She sang. The other girls had woken up, too, and were watching her amusedly.

"I think she did, Rose," said Charlotte, a smile on her round face.

We all got dressed as soon as Jade stopped her crazy dance, and we went downstairs in a large group, chatting about the day ahead. The cozy warmth of the common room welcomed us when we reached the base of the stairs. A figure wearing a knitted cap, the kind with flaps that cover your ears, was sitting in Fred's usual seat on the large velvet couch in front of the fire. I walked up behind the figure, peeked over the edge of the couch to see who it was, the plopped down next to him.

"Why the cap, dear cousin of mine?" I asked, then plucked it off of his head before he could say anything, immediately cracking up when I realized what was underneath.

"Stop it, Rose!" Freddy complained, desperately trying to grab the cap back, but I held it behind me.

Fred's once red hair was now hot pink, and styled in a Mohawk.

"What'd you do to it?" I giggled.

"Nothing!" He protested, still trying to grab the cap. Lily had come down from her dormitory, her face lighting up and her laughter loud and raucous. Fred's face turned as red as his hair used to be she cracked up.

More footsteps were heard on the staircase, and Julia Ruiz appeared in the common room. She was carrying a large bag. She looked at Fred, who was staring at her, and reached into her bag, pulling out a Filibuster Firework. She took her wand out from the back pocket of her jeans, lit the firework, and soon the common room was filled with a loud bang as the firework burst into loads of different colors. Julia pulled out four more fireworks, each of them exploding and spelling out a phrase. Soon, hanging suspended and sizzling in the air, was:

_Go to the Ball with me?_

_Julia_

We all watched in awe, a lovesick expression on Fred's face, when somebody stomped down the staircase.

It was none other than Molly, my absolute least favorite cousin. She was closely followed by her twin sister, Lucy. Molly stood there, fuming, as she glared at us from behind her spectacles, her red hair was still knotted from sleep and she wore her nightdress. "What is the meaning of this?" She exclaimed. "Professor McGonagall clearly stated that we are not allowed to set off Filibuster Fireworks in the -"

"Hallways," Julia finished, her voice falsely innocent. "Pardon the interruption, _Miss Weasley_, but McGonagall clearly stated that we are not allowed to set them off in the _hallways_. Does anyone think this is a hallway?" Fred shook his head vigorously, still awestruck. "So, whoever set them off isn't at fault for breaking any rules, now, are they, hmm?" Julia waved her wand behind her back before Molly could see the message in the air. It disappeared with a bang, making Molly jump. This was the angriest I've ever seen her, and Lily and I always tried our hardest to make her angry. Her face was as red as a tomato.

"Now, see here, _Ruiz_, I'm going to-"

"Molly, calm down. She's right. And you don't want a repeat of what happened over summer, do you?" Lucy said, her hazel eyes gleaming as she laid a hand on her sister's shoulder.

"Lucy, don't bring that up," Molly said through gritted teeth. Lucy clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

"That's nothing to be embarrassed about, Molls. I mean, anyone can try punching their cousin, miss terribly, fall down three flights of stairs and end up in St. Mungo's for two days!" The whole common room was trying to hide their laughter now. I chuckled along with them. Molly was looking murderous now. She looked as if she was going to kill her twin sister. The two of them were as different as can be, even if they looked alike. You could always tell the two of them apart once they opened their mouths. Both were tall, very thin, and freckled. They both had red hair, though Lucy's was long, sleek, and pulled back tightly into a ponytail, and Molly's hung straight to her shoulders. Both had hazel eyes framed with thick eyelashes, but Lucy's seemed wider and livelier than Molly's, which were hidden behind spectacles. And of course, their mannerisms were different. Lucy was lively, athletic, and carefree whereas Molly was uptight, bent on following the rules precisely and hated the outdoors.

"All of you, out! It's time for breakfast," Molly said, still angry but defeated. She sounded as if someone had deflated her.

Julia strode to the door, bag in hand. "Yum, I'm starving," She said, rubbing her stomach. "Oi, Weasley!" She called. Only Fred turned his head, she called the rest of us by our first names. "Nice hair," she finished with a wink, and disappeared through the portrait hole. The common room emptied out behind her.

Fred had a funny look on his face. "It was her!" he exclaimed. "She's the only one to ever get away with pranking _me_! I-I'm furious! I-I'm murderous! I am going to kill her!" He fumed. "She's the only one whose _ever _pulled one on me… Lord I love that woman." Fred sunk onto the soft couch, his eyes unfocused and his expression dreamy. I laughed.

"Bye Freddie," I waved, laughing, as Jade and I went down to the Great Hall.

* * *

**Hi guys! This is not my best chapter, but it will get better, i promise. I like Julia and Fred though, I think his late Uncle Fred (RIP) would approve. **

**And I'm sorry that there wasn't much Scorpius in here to those who have been begging me nonstop to put more Scorpius in*cough*Lisi*cough*, but he will be coming soon also. I have big plans for their Hogsmeade trip and for the Masquerade Ball!**

**Also, this chapter is dedicated to the amazingly awesome Fred`Weasley the First. You gotta love him. :'-( If you want to read a oneshot in memory of Fred, check out my story, Never To Be Forgotten. Thanks!**

**Please R&R!**


	8. Of Duels and Dresses

There was a dull roar in the Great Hall that morning, as the third and fourth year students chattered anxiously about the upcoming trip to Hogsmeade. Jade had even pulled out a map of the village, highlighting our route in red ink and circling the shops we were going to hit first. She was obviously disappointed at my lack of enthusiasm.

"Aren't you excited, Rose?" She inquired, a hint of annoyance in her voice. I sighed.

"Of course I am, but I don't see the need to plan every step we take there. Why not just scrap the plan and play it by ear?" I suggested. Jade looked shocked, but gave in.

"Fine, but we are _definitely _going to Gladrags, Honeydukes, and the Three Broomsticks, okay?" I consented and she nodded; she was satisfied.

Professor McGonagall announced that all of the students - third-year and up - would head down to the steps of the school to turn in their permission slips and head to Hogsmeade. The younger students ogled at us enviously as we wiped our mouths with our napkins and made our way out of the Great Hall. I fingered the slip of paper signed by my mum in my pocket. The throng of students snaked their way out of the hall and stopped in front of a waiting Professor McGonagall. Early frost dusted the ground and cracked beneath our feet.

"Please form a line," our headmistress commanded. We immediately obeyed, pushing each other in an effort to make a line. Professor McGonagall then instructed us to hand her the slip and follow the path to Hogsmeade.

"Hey guys," Charlotte began from behind me, "guess who asked me to the ball?" Excitement and pride oozed from her voice.

"Who?"

"Andon White!" Charlotte sounded breathless. I couldn't blame her. Andon had wavy dark blonde hair that hung just the right away around his face, forest green eyes, and a tall, muscular body. He was a fourth-year, and many Hogwarts girls, no matter what age, drooled over him. I could kind of see them together. Charlotte with her curly blonde hair, navy eyes and innocent face was easily one of the prettiest girls in years second to fifth. "He asked me in the corridor on the way here! Can you believe it?"

"No."

It was Harper Naves, a Slytherin girl who clearly made it her life goal to make us miserable. She was a third-year too. Harper was pretty, no doubt, with long, wavy, chocolate brown hair and snow-white skin. But her eyes were a cold, calculating black, much less friendly than Hagrid's eyes.

"Why would he ask you, Hanover?" Harper continued. "Oh, I know, he must be going _blind_." The two Slytherin girls behind her snickered. Charlotte looked miserable, her large navy eyes filling with tears. Charlotte was a sensitive girl, she didn't take teasing well; even we didn't tease her gently.

"Well, I definitely know why he didn't ask _you_, Naves." I began. "He's clearly into girls with enough brains to string together a decent insult."

"Your theory definitely doesn't work, then." said a Slytherin crony of Harper's. Clearly, she took my insult seriously. "I've never heard Hanover insult someone ever!" Her eyes, an incredibly pale blue, were wide but vague. She had shoulder-length, white-blonde hair. She almost looked like Aunt Fleur, except Aunt Fleur's eyes were deeper, darker, and much more intelligent.

Harper's eyes burned. "Shut up, Clarisse!" She shrieked, attracting the attention of Filch, the _ancient_ caretaker. He eyed us suspiciously, then moved along. The line snaked forward. "God, you are _such_ an a imbecile." Harper Naves rubbed her temples as if she had a migraine. Her eyes closed and she took a deep breath, calming herself. I turned away, making it blatantly clear that this conversation was over. An indignant shriek from behind me made it known that Naves had opened her eyes and was angry about being ignored. "Don't you dare turn your back on me, Weasley! A conversation is only over when I say it is!" A little sound from Charlotte said that she was going to reply, but I squeezed her wrist to keep her quiet. Naves let out a strangled sound of frustration. "You know, Weasley, I think Hanover here can think for herself. She doesn't need you to do what little thinking she does for her." Again, we stayed silent. I laughed internally, Naves was really easy to get to. "You know Weasley, I don't even know why I want to talk to you." I could hear the slow smirk in her drawl. "Your dad's a blood traitor, and your mum's nothing but a filthy Mudblood. Your filth might be contagious." I gritted my teeth, my blood boiling with anger. I turned around, eyes flaming. Naves simply laughed. Careful girls! Her Mudlood genes might get it's filth on you!" Her shrieking laughter seemed to be slower and more grating than ever. "Ooh, lookie. I think we've angered her!" More laughs. She sounded like a mix between a hyena and a knife being sharpened.

In all of her fits of laughter, Naves didn't notice that I had drawn my wand, pointing it at her chest. Jade noticed, however, and grabbed my arm. Naves, noticing the movement, drew her wand, still cackling. She began to perform the Stinging Jinx, her wand flourishing dramatically. I was quicker, however, my wand moving in very fast, precise movements, blocking the spell almost before it happened. By this time, our argument went noticed by Professor McGonagall, who had rushed over immediately. Naves didn't lower her wand, and I didn't lower mine. I wanted desperately to cast a curse of my own on her, maybe one a little more painful, but I resisted.

"Girls!" Professor McGonagall cried. She looked back and forth between us. "Lower your wands immediately!" I slowly lowered mine, returning it to it's holster beneath my robes. Naves reluctantly did the same. "Miss Weasley, Miss Naves, may I ask what in the name of Merlin is going on here?"

Jade jumped in. "Harper insulted Charlotte, then Rose's parents, and then tried to jinx Rose. Rose just countered her jinx!" Her almond eyes were wide. Charlotte nodded vehemently.

"They're all lying, Professor!" Naves said indignantly. "Rose was trying to hurt me! She's probably jealous." Naves shrugged. Professor McGonagall looked at her as though she though something was not quite right about her. She looked down her sharp nose at the two of us calculatingly.

"Well, there is one way that I know of to settle this. _Prior Incantato_," She mumbled. Shadows of the last spells our wands cast rose from the tips of our wands. Professor McGonagall looked at Naves disapprovingly. "I am surprised by you, Miss Naves. Not only did you attack a fellow student, but you _lied_ to your Headmistress." Professor McGonagall paused. "Fifteen points from Slytherin for dueling, ten for lying. You will be banned from this Hogsmeade outing and the next one. Mr. Filch will escort you to your dormitory, now, Miss Naves."

Harper's eyes flashed as she was led away by Filch, looking over her shoulder at us furiously. "If looks could kill, I'd be six feet under," I muttered. Professor McGonagall laughed.

"Let's just be glad that they don't, Weasley." Professor McGonagall went back to the front of the line totake permission slips. We snaked forward, and soon, I was handing my slip to Professor McGonagall and walking down the road to Hogsmeade.

We entered the village of Hogsmeade a couple minutes later, Jade bubbling excitedly. We both wore identical grins as we stared in awe at the picturesque wizarding town.

"Honeydukes!" Jade cried, and Charlotte, Jade and I entered the magical sweets shop. We weaved around the sweet-smelling displays, looking at such delicacies as butterbeer lollipops, heart-shaped cookies with love-potion infused sprinkles, and boxes and boxes of Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans. I picked up a Fantastic Flavor-Changing Fudge, and turning to pay for it, I saw none other than Al and a familiar-looking long -haired girl laughing over some ridiculous candies. I could have sworn that I even saw Albus glance at the Love Cookies a couple times.

I laughed, nudging Jade with my elbow, and then gestured to the two. They seemed a slightly unexpected pair, Al being a Slytherin and Lisi being a Ravenclaw. She grinned at the two of them. I looked around the store, still smiling, when I caught the eye of Scorpius Malfoy. My smile faltered a bit as he gazed at me with his piercing gaze, a small smile playing at his lips. I saw Carter glance between the two of us in confusion, and Jade pulled me out of the store, giggling.

"Now, it's time for Gladrags!" She cried, dragging me along the road. I thought that my exchange with Malfoy had gone unnoticed, but Jade whispered in my ear, "You _so_ like him." I chose to ignore her, and we stepped into Gladrags.

I was greeted by a sight of rack upon rack filled with robes of all colors and styles. My eyes widened as I caught sight of a magnificent robe that looked like the night sky, it's fabric seemed to be made of the very universe itself. Jade, however, was all business, going up to one of the workers, a young witch with dreadlocks and heavily made-up eyelids, and asked her curtly where the dresses were. The witch blew a gum bubble as she led us to a section in the back, separated from the rest of the shop by an archway with the words _Dress Robes For All Occasions _floated above our heads in silver sparks, and every once in a while silver sparks rained down. We stepped through the enchanted archway, and the dress robe section was much bigger than it looked on the outside. Jade and Charlotte gasped. It was all I could do to not gasp, too. The huge room was filled with magnificent tuxes, dress robes, and gowns. They were _definitely_ not like the Muggle clothing that I have worn before, they were all enchanted somehow, save the black boys' dress robes in the corner. We rushed to the racks, mumbling a quick thanks to the gum-chewing attendant. She popped her gum in response, then went back to the front of the store.

I immediately grabbed a beautiful dress on the rack in front of me. It was a deep forest green, made of a shimmery fabric that rippled when it was moved in the slightest. I also picked up two more: A deep, navy blue, with tiny twinkling stars throughout, and a white bubble dress, which was made of fabric as soft as a cloud and seemed to subtly move like one.

Jade and Charlotte chose some dresses of their own, and we made our way to the changing stalls in the back of the room. The stalls were also enchanted, being more roomy and spacious than the outside appearance suggested. I took off my sneakers and let my bare feet rest on the plush carpet. I took off my clothes and put on the forest green dress. It flowed on my body like water. Every move I made seemed to be magnified and made more graceful in the dress, and when I moved it shimmered and rippled, surrounding me in a cloud of sparkles. I stepped out, Jade and Charlotte out there in their dresses too. They both glanced at my dress, their faces unexpressive.

I sighed and changed into my other dresses and their faces wore the same disapproving mask. "I thought that they were great, guys!" I exclaimed.

Jade clicked her tongue knowingly. "Rosie, _you_ thought they were great, but well, you're _you_. No offense, but you don't have our great expertise in these things." Charlotte agreed with Jade's words.

I sighed, sinking down into a chair. "We must've searched the whole store!" I announced dejectedly. "What other dresses could be left?"

Jade gasped again, and I glanced at her. "What?" I asked.

"There's this one," she said with a dreamy voice. She held out a soft orange dress, the fabric engulfed in subtle, elegant shimmers. I put it on, and beamed. It was gorgeous, fitting me just right, and every time I moved it left a lingering trail of shimmers behind me, and after a few seconds they just disappeared.

I stepped out, and everyone smiled. "It's perfect!" Charlotte exclaimed, Jade nodding her head vigorously.

We went to check out with our purchases. Charlotte ended up with the navy blue night sky dress that I had tried, the shade had adjusted magically to match the shade of her eyes, exactly. She looked ravishing, and Andon wouldn't know what hit him. Jade had chosen an oriental style dress, the color of her namesake, with blooming cherry blossoms throughout.

We spent our time laughing together in the Three Broomsticks, and soon Elyse joined us. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the castle. We saw straggling groups of student maneuvering the roads back to Hogwarts, and decided we should finish our butterbeer before we left. After Elyse and I had downed the last of our delicious drinks, we thanked the bartender, Madame Rosettia, who was apparently the daughter of Madame Rosmerta, the woman who ran the place in our parents' time. She gave us a dazzling smile, wished us well, and we headed out the door and back to Hogwarts.

As we walked along, Jade, Elyse, and Charlotte laughed and talked, about everything and anything, but I stayed quiet, straggling behind the group a bit. We had to walk fast, of course; the closest group of students we saw were _many_ yards away. I lost myself in my very tangled thoughts. I thought about how Malfoy had never been anything but nice to me. I thought about our encounter in the classroom, I thought about the smile he gave me in Honeydukes. We had a relationship built not on hate, as I had previously thought, but on something else entirely. It was mind-blowing, tying my mind into knots, giving me a headache. I decided that I couldn't say he was my sworn enemy, anymore, because we both knew that he wasn't. He was an acquaintance, I guessed. As we stepped on the path that would take us directly out of Hogsmeade, I looked back at the town we spent the day in. A wonderful day, I added mentally. I expected to see the lazy streets, full of people wandering and chatting, but I saw a strange sight that made my eyebrows knit together.

The streets were empty.

I couldn't see anyone there, but then, a silhouette of a figure strode purposefully up the street. It got closer and closer almost faster than I had though possible, and when he came into sight I stopped completely.

It was a smiling young man, no older than twenty-five, wearing torn and ragged clothing and boots with flapping soles. His hair was long and matted, a grayish blonde color, but _much_ different than the silver-blonde of Malfoy's hair. But his eyes, they were the part that unnerved me most. His eyes were an impossibly pale blue, the pupils tiny. That was enough to scare someone, but then there was this mad glint in his eyes, a wild look. It was the look of a man who had suddenly lost his cause; it was the look of a man who had to find it again, no matter the cost.

I stared at him, mouth wide, and my heart raced, wondering what he was going to do, when he stopped completely, keeping his eerie gaze fixed steadily on me. He then smiled wider, looking at me as if I were prey. My heart seemed to stop and then-

The man winked and saluted at me, before disappearing with a quiet _Pop!. I whirled around, my friends had stopped walking and were looking at me worriedly._

"_I'm f-fine, we have to g-go!" I stuttered, and we sprinted up the path to Hogwarts, my mind whirling with images of the ragged man._


	9. The Nightmare

_I ran, faster than I'd ever thought I could. I couldn't tell if I was running away from something or towards something, but I had a feeling it was both. I sprinted - breath heaving, throat rasping, legs slowly turning to jelly. I was in blackness, nothing could be seen except the cloud of my breath. Nothing could be heard except my feet pounding on the ground, wherever the ground was. My legs threatened to give out entirely, but then I fell._

_I fell for what seemed like forever, into nothing, out of nothing, able to hold on to nothing. I opened my mouth to scream, but the blackness swallowed the sound. My lips were parted in a silent shriek. The blackness seeped in, filling my throat, clouding over my tongue, slithering down to my lungs, making me gag soundlessly._

_I thought that I was going to die._

_My body hit the ground with force, sending resonating waves of vibrating agony throughout the rest of my body. My back had been the contact between ground and air, and I slowly sat up, realizing that I was not in a void at all. Instead I seemed to be in a cave, or at least a cave-like room. I though that I was alone until I heard a dark chuckle behind me._

_I whirled around, seeing the man that I had seen on the streets, chuckling evilly. His eyes were as mad as ever as he raised his wand, I instinctively reached for mine, but it wasn't there. I panicked, when I realized that his wand was not aimed at me -_

_It was then that I took notice of the ground before me. It was a sight so gruesome that I wanted to cry, I wanted to curl up in a corner and sob, I wanted to die, to rip my hair out in agony._

_On the floor was Jade, lifeless and pale, her once warm, almond eyes glassy and staring. Her bright face, always lit with a brilliant smile, was bloodless and blank. A small trickle of crimson blood oozed from her lips. Her left arm was bent at a crooked, impossible angle, and her right arm was outstretched towards me, as if she begged for me to help her. Stretching from her upper arm to her forearm were the words _HALFBLOOD FILTH. _They were carved deeply into her arm, still oozing crimson blood. The rest of her body rested painfully - all crooked angles and blood and bruises. She was tortured until she had died._

_Next to her was James, bloodless and pale like my best friend next to him, his glasses broken and a shard of the lens in his arm. His arms had clearly been broken - while he was alive - and unshed tears pooled in his cloudy eyes. The words _HE LOVED THE FILTH _were carved into his chest, with his torn shirt sticking to his skin in the blood. The position of his body suggested that he had tried protecting Jade, but his arms and legs were broken and he was forced to watch her die before dying himself. _

_Al was there too, a little way away from Jade and James, his head facedown. His whole body seemed broken, and a pool of blood beneath his head suggested that his head was bashed and he was tortured the magical way. On his back were _HE WANTED TO BE A HERO_. Many other loved ones of mine were dead, too: Victoire, Teddy, Dom, Lily, Roxanne, Fred, Julia, Lisi, Charlotte, Elyse, even my owl were there on the floor, brutally murdered and mangled, all with messages._

_On Victoire_: SHE NEVER FOOLED ANYONE.

_On Teddy: _WORSE THAN FILTH ARE THE FREAKS LIKE HIS PARENTS

_On Lily: _HE KILLED HER ONCE, I'LL DO IT AGAIN

_Looking beyond him I saw two horribly familiar figures hanging from the ceiling, a man and woman. The woman's brown hair was matted with blood, her head lolling limply as the thumbs that held her up threatened to snap off. She, too, had a line of blood tricking from her parted lips, she too had a message. _MUDBLOOD. _The man's unruly hair was now spiked up and knotted in several places, his limp body broken beyond repair. _BLOOD TRAITOR.

_The messages on my parents were more than I could handle. I looked at the man with something more than fury. A glint of insanity almost identical to his own were reflected in mine. And that was what fueled me. "What did you do to them, you monster!" I screamed, tears of rage and loss pouring down my face, my voice coming out ragged and raspy._

_He just smiled in response and stepped to the side, revealing someone behind him, bound and gagged by magical ropes. His sleek hair was disheveled. His pearl gray eyes were warning me, warning me to run and never look back. But I opened my mouth in disbelief. "What are you doing to him?' I shrieked. "Answer me!"_

_He aimed his wand at the boy, unbinding him, and he sprung to his feet, running to me. I tried to put my hands out, but they were met by an invisible surface. I pounded on it, screaming. _

_I was on the outside and Scorpius Malfoy was in. _

_Malfoy pounded against the force field, and I put my hands against it, desperate tears running down my face as my body racked with sobs. The man stunned Malfoy, causing him to fall to the ground. I screamed my throat raw, and then screamed some more. The man stepped on Malfoy's hand, causing it to crack and for him to muffle his cried of pain as his bones shattered. He uttered the Cruciatus Curse on Malfoy, Malfoy's body writhing on the ground, his mouth open in the agonizing cries. He stopped the Curse, and Malfoy breathed heavily, rolling to avoid the man, but the man was too quick._

_He stepped on Malfoy again, then rolled him onto his back, making sure that I had a clear line of sight. He took out a filthy knife, no doubt carrying all sorts of infections, and brandished it dramatically. I screamed some more, pounding and shrieking and sobbing uncontrollably. With a gruesome smile, the man carved into the flesh of Malfoy's chest, my body racked with sobs as I sunk to my knees, Malfoy's screams resounding around the walls of the cavern. _

_The man finally finished his work, lifting his knife - now dripping with scarlet liquid - and seemed to appraise his handiwork. Then, with a grin more sinister than the others, he brought the knife back down and carved a deep gash into Scorpius Malfoy. _

_Malfoy's eyes were squeezed shut, tears parading down his bloodless face, his mouth set in a grimace. The man stepped away, letting me see his nasty deeds. _

HE NEVER SHOULD'VE FALLEN.

_The man then lifted his wand and a brilliant flash of green light filled the cave._

"NO!" I screamed.

"Wake up, Rosie, wake up!" I heard a voice exclaim. It was Jade, her face fuzzy as I tried to adjust my eyes to the light. "It was just a nightmare, relax." My eyes widened and I threw back the covers, running through the dormitory and to the top of the stair landing. I was ecstatic that Jade wasn't murdered in a remote cavern, but I ignored her worried words and scanned the Common Room.

Finally, I found who I was looking for.

I sprinted down the stone stairs, still weeping. He stood up from the couch he was sitting at, setting down the book he was reading. He was concerned about my tears.

I threw myself into his arms, sobbing into his chest and letting him hold me close, saying comforting words; stroking my hair. He was still puzzled, but I didn't offer up an explanation.

I certainly didn't hate Scorpius Malfoy.


	10. An Unexpected Trip to the Hospital

I don't know what in Merlin's name possessed me to do it. But I did. I had actually hugged Scorpius Malfoy. And to make matters worse, I had sobbed like a blubbering lunatic into his chest for the better part of thirty minutes. After the whole ordeal was over, I wiped my eyes and avoided Malfoy like the plague for the rest of the day, even scooting as far as the desk would allow me in Potions. Professor Baynes looked at me, with a look in her navy blue eyes as if I wasn't quite right in the head. Apparently, I also _looked _like I wasn't feeling well either, because Professor Baynes came up to me in the middle of class and whispered softly, "Are you alright, Rose? Do you need to see Madam Pomfrey?" Madam Pomfrey was our _ancient_ nurse; she had even been around when Mum and Dad were here.

Ancient or not, Madam Pomfrey was my ticket to get away from the strange stares of Malfoy, so I nodded my head dramatically. "All right, dear," Professor Baynes said soothingly. She then turned to Malfoy. "Mr. Malfoy, could you please escort Miss Weasley to the Hospital Wing?" Malfoy just glanced at me as if he knew I was faking it, but nodded nonetheless.

"Of course, Professor."

I inwardly groaned. I had pretended to be sick to get _away_ from Malfoy, and now I had to suffer through the long walk to the Hospital Wing with him – which was on the other side of the castle. Before I followed Malfoy through the thick double doors of Professor Baynes's dungeon-classroom, I looked desperately at Jade. She caught my eye, and I mouthed "SOS". She smiled, shaking her head slightly as she turned back to her failing potion.

The hall was like a breath of fresh air. Potions was awesome, but in an underground confined classroom, chock-full of herbs and strange mixtures, with little to no ventilation, it could get pretty stuffy and fume-y. Malfoy fell into step with me as I took a deep breath. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets as he searched for the right words to say. I actually preferred that he wouldn't say anything at all. I was okay with a long, silent walk that would prove to be awkward for the both of us. But apparently Malfoy wasn't.

He cleared his throat. "Ro-Weasley," he corrected himself after I shot him a brief glare at the use of my first name, "What was that all about in the common room this morning?"

I could feel his curious eyes burning into the side of my bushy auburn head, but I didn't turn to meet his gaze. I just shrugged nonchalantly and sped up. Malfoy sped up too, until he was standing in front of me and walking backwards so that he could look me straight in the face. "C'mon, Weasley. I'm being serious."

"You're always serious," was my lame reply.

"Yeah, and you're always evasive. What happened?"

"None of you business."

"Once you started sobbing on me, it _became_ my business."

He looked me straight in the eyes. I glared back unflinchingly. "You really shouldn't go around harassing sick people like this, Malfoy." I coughed weakly for added effect.

"Tell me."

"It was a nightmare, okay?" I sighed in defeat.

Malfoy just looked at me expectantly.

"You're going to fall down a flight of stairs if you keep walking backwards."

"Glad to know you care about my safety. Stop changing the subject."

I narrowed my eyes at him in frustration. He just didn't give up, did he? "Why do you care so much?"

"Because one second you hate me, the next you're hugging me like you're never going to see me again and crying all over my shirt. Something's up." Malfoy stopped suddenly, and I had to steady myself just so that I wouldn't crash into him.

"I saw you die, okay? There were the bodies of Jade, Carter, Teddy, Victoire, Charlotte, Dom, my parents… everyone." My voice broke, and hot tears stood ready in my eyes, like troops waiting to be called to battle. Malfoy's eyes softened, and I turned my head. But I just couldn't stop there. "A-and you were there. There was a man, he-" I had to stop as images from my dream flowed back at me. Mum and Dad, hanging by their thumbs. Al with his head bashed in. Jade with her arm outstretched, but I was too late. Malfoy, bound and gagged, then Malfoy on the floor writhing and twitching under the Cruciatus curse, Malfoy with tears streaming down his face as the jagged blade danced across his pale chest.

I sunk to my knees, sobbing freely now. The tear-troops had been summoned by the memories of a nightmare. "I was too late. For everyone." I looked up at Malfoy. "I had to save you, to make up for everyone else, but-b-but, I-I…"

Malfoy was crouching on one knee in front of me, blonde eyebrows knitted together. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

The door burst open to the side of us, and we both jumped to our feet. Little known to us, I had broken down right in front of the Hospital Wing, and, staring at us down from her pointed nose was Madam Pomfrey, eyes calculating as she took in my emotional instability, Malfoy's knitted eyebrows, and it was obvious that she had quickly put together her opinion of the story.

Eyes falling on me, the ancient nurse gently put her hand on my back and clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. I gasped for breath in between racking sobs and stared up at her pitifully and almost frightened. I had only been sent here once before, when I had sprained my ankle during Quidditch practice, and her assistant, Madam Friar, had tended to me. As I sat on the hospital gurney, my bruising ankle in a splint, I watched Madam Pomfrey fuss over her patients, with that intimidating look in her eyes like she had now. I was a bit scared of her, and now here she was, looming over me in my delicate state. She glared over her shoulder at Malfoy, beckoning him inside with a terse nod of her head. Apparently, not _every_ adult in the school liked him. I almost smiled.

Madam Pomfrey set me down on a hospital bed, checking my heartbeat and vitals, just to make sure that I wasn't _actually_ ill. She then told me to get some rest, so I obediently leaned back and closed my eyes.

"What in Merlin's name did you say to her?" Madam Pomfrey's sharp rebuke came as a complete surprise.

"Nothing, Madam, I swear!" Malfoy's voice.

"Well something clearly distressed her," Madam Pomfrey hissed. "Does it have something to do with that cursed Masquerade Ball?"

"N-No! She's not going with me." I could almost hear the blush in Malfoy's voice.

"Uh-huh. Suuuurre." Madam Pomfrey sounded so much like a teenager in that moment that I was caught completely by surprise and giggled. Malfoy thankfully coughed to cover it up, and I peeked open an eye.

"For Merlin's sake, boy, cover your mouth when you do that!"

Malfoy nodded with a "yes, madam", and he caught my gaze. I mouthed "thanks" and he smiled in response. It felt like something friends would do – which was weird 'cause we were _certainly not_ friends. That'll happen when pigs fly.

* * *

The next day in our dorm, after a rest in the Hospital Wing under Madam Pomfrey's strict orders, Jade filled me in on the rest of the day I had missed. What baffled me most was Charms class. "We levitated little piggy banks!" Jade exclaimed. "'Course, I wish we would have used _real_ pigs, but Professor Biggins said that that could be classified as animal abuse. Oh well," she sighed. Then laughed. "Can you believe it, Rose? We actually made 'pigs fly!'" Despite my best friend's obvious excitement, I inwardly groaned. So much for my promise to myself made in the hospital bed the day before.

Jade then switched gears, warm brown eyes twinkling mischievously. "Scorpius seemed distraught too yesterday."

"Did you seriously just use the word 'distraught'?" I asked with an incredulous smile on my face despite Jade's teasing. She smacked me lightly with her pillow.

"I'm serious!"

"So am I!"

"Anyways, he actually came up to me and asked, (no joke), 'Is Rose okay?'" Jade had deepened her voice a little to do a generic but still ridiculous man-voice that was supposed to be Malfoy. I cracked up, and Jade just rolled her eyes and moved on. She was too excited to stop now. "And I said, 'Well she was a little worked up this morning,' and then Scorpius chuckled and said, 'Yeah, I noticed,' and then we both laughed and-"

"Okay, okay, thanks for the play by play, Jade." I joked.

"I think he likes you. He _is_ pretty cute." I promptly smacked Jade with my own pillow. "Carter was getting pretty jea-loouus," Jade sang the word "jealous", and immediately got socked by me and my fluffy weapon again. We both started laughing and our conversation turned into an all-out pillow fight until Charlotte poked her head in and informed us it was time for dinner – laughing when she saw us trying to hide our pillow-weapons behind our backs. I gave Jade one last hit before we walked out of the dorm room and out into the hall, where Carter soon caught up to the three of us, looping his arms through mine and Jade's before winking at Charlotte.

"Sorry, Char, but I hear you're _taken_," he said teasingly. Charlotte's white cheeks turned a deep shade of scarlet, making her blonde curls stand out vividly. Instead, Charlotte wound her arm through my other one, and the four of us made our merry way to the Great Hall. "So, Rosie, you sound a lot better. What happened?" Carter inquired.

"I guess the fumes just got to me."

"Uh-huh." Carter raised his dark brown eyebrows disbelievingly. He then whirled around to face us and walked backwards (much like Malfoy did the day before, I embarrassingly noticed). "Well, girls, I think our dear Rosie has finally faked sick! The biggest nerd of all has fallen to our evil yet oh so enticing ways!" Carter exclaimed melodramatically. The hall quickly filled with our laughter. And the strangest thing was: I actually found myself looking forward to going to the Ball with Carter.

* * *

Dinner was full of people asking me if I was okay, and what had happened, etcetera, etcetera. Jade finally spoke up and told everyone to just shut up about it and I flashed her a surprised but grateful smile. "Thanks," I confessed.

"Any-time, hon." Jade replied playfully.

I looked across the table to see Malfoy looking at me from under his blonde eyelids as if I was a bad wand, no telling when I was going to explode or do something crazy. I quickly averted my eyes and they found themselves on the face of Madam Pomfrey sitting at the Head Table, giving me a quick smile and sending a glare Malfoy's way. I had a feeling that the old nurse and I were on the same wavelength.

* * *

**Okay, sorry for this pitiful excuse of a chapter, especially since I've practically fallen off the face of the Earth for 5 1/2 months (feel free to kill me, I apologize!), but I really needed to update! I am a little tired, considering I just finished this and its past midnight, so pardon the horibbleness of this chappie! The next one will be better, I swear! Please R&R, even though I am a horrible person who kept her readers waiting for five long months :-( Tell me what you guys think! **

**Do you like Scorp or Carter better? What about Al and Lisi? Fred and Julia? And who should the ever-flirtatious Jade end up with: James or Patrick Finnigan or some other dude? And I know you haven't met him yet, but what about Charlotte and Andon? Should Elysse Longbottom get a guy as well? Oh, and on a creepier note, what do you guys think about the ragged Hogsmeade guy from Rose's dream? Better pay attention, he'll be pretty important...**

**Thank you, my faithful readers, for sticking by this unreliable author. I love you all!**

**Ally**


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